


The Wedding

by Elvenheart993



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-07
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-03-16 18:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3498404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elvenheart993/pseuds/Elvenheart993
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twin centric, multi-chapter fic detailing the events after the wedding from the perspective of the Weasley family.</p><p>"To Bill and Fleur Weasley!" Any pain and thoughts of war were temporarily forgotten as all eyes followed the couple swirling and gliding across the dance floor. For tonight, there was nothing but love and happiness all around.</p><p>Please note that my story is also posted at FanFiction.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Wedding

** The Wedding **

_And the walls kept tumbling down_  
In the city that we love,  
Great clouds roll over the hills  
Bringing darkness from above.

_But if you close your eyes,_  
Does it almost feel like  
Nothing changed at all?

**_Pompeii - Bastille._ **

“Okay, okay. I know everyone wants ta get back to the schmoozing and the Butterbeer, so I’ll be brief…” Charlie Weasley’s loud voice carried well out of the marquee and anyone who had still been whispering among themselves immediately quietened and gave the Weasley who was standing on a chair to see over everyone, their full attention.

Charlie, as ever, was grinning broadly, his hair wild and sticking out in all directions as he stood before the group. On his right, Bill and Fleur stood arm in arm and both glowing with happiness as they looked up at him with interest.  To the left, the parents of both the bride and the groom stood.

“As Bill’s best man, and little brother, I thought it was kinda my duty to say somethin’ on his wedding day. Mostly to embarrass him a bit in front of everyone, I mean, what else are brothers for?”

Everyone smiled, half the crowd chuckled softly and two equally loud voices chimed in with a hearty “ ‘ear, ‘ear!”.

Spurred on, Charlie continued. “But first, I’d just like to remind you all that we now have the first Mrs. Weasley in the family—well you know what I mean, Mum-” He winked, casting a slightly sheepish look sideways at his parents.  “And with six sons, I think it’s reasonable to expect at _least_ one more eventually.”

His blue eyes scanned the crowd and rested on Ron, Fred and George in turn before grinning broadly and shrugging. “But knowing myself and my brothers, I don’t think it’ll be for a while.”

Bill let out a loud slightly wolfish laugh and squeezed his new wife’s arm affectionately.

Fred and George exchanged grins and George caught the eye of one of the Delacour cousins and winked suggestively. She promptly gave him a shocked look that quickly turned into one of haughty disgust and turned away with her nose in the air.

“So cheers to Billy for manning up and settling down…we were starting to lose hope when he found his first grey hair at only 22…when he didn’t have the luxury of bein’ able to blame that on any wolfish characteristics.”

Clearing his throat, Charlie looked down at the couple and beamed. “Seriously though, congratulations, Bill. Who woulda thought you could land a girl like that?” He raised his glass and held it aloft in a toast. “Welcome to the clan, Fleur. To Bill and Fleur Weasley!”

“To Bill and Fleur!” Most of the crowd echoed, raising their own glasses and drinking to the newlyweds who kissed.

Charlie dropped from his perch atop the chair, and the music struck up again anew in the air with a jovial lively tempo. Fred and George immediately started up clapping a rhythm to the music, which many of the guests joined in at once, stepping back and parting to provide a space as Bill held out his hand for Fleur. Smiling as widely as anyone had ever seen her, Fleur took it keenly and glided out with him onto the dance floor.

Any pain and thoughts of war were temporarily forgotten as all eyes followed the couple swirling and gliding across the dance floor. For tonight, there was nothing but love and happiness all around. Nothing else mattered at the moment. It was easy to forget that members of the Order were still patrolling outside of the festivities.

After a few minutes, Arthur and Madame Delacour joined in the dancing, and Monsieur Delacour soon followed with Molly, effectively opening the dance to all.

Having quickly smooth talked his way into the affections of one of Fleur’s friends, a graduate of Beauxbatons, Charlie wasted no time in having a spin around the dance floor himself.

Hermione had found herself an old admirer in Viktor Krum who, to the surprise of many, had been invited to the wedding. She was promptly whisked away by a very jealous Ron, much to the amusement of his brothers who watched the scene.

xxxXxxx

“What have you been doing, young man? Your ears are lopsided!”

George barely supressed a glare and forced a smile that came out more like a grimace as he ground out through his teeth, “I noticed, Auntie Muriel, you already said that today.”

“Well then why haven’t you fixed it yet?” The crow like old woman snapped, roughly slapping at her great nephew’s cheeks. George winced and drew himself up out of her reach.

“Because I _can’t_ , you old co-”

“Don’t you talk to me like that, boy. I’m much too old to be spoken to with that tone.” She snapped indignantly and then seemed to hesitate, narrowing her eyes. “Which one are you?”

“George.” George answered dryly, his eyes darting around trying to find an excuse to disappear.

“You stupid boys will be the death of each other. That’s what I always said. Arthur always did need to keep a tighter leash on his sons.” She tutted and fixed the twin with a piercing stare. “Well don’t just stand there gawking like a troll, go do something useful.”

George didn’t need to be told twice. He eagerly stepped around Great Aunt Muriel and made a face and an obscene gesture at her back before vanishing into the crowd before she could catch him out on it.

 

“You ladies should see it next time you’re in England. I guarantee I have something somewhere in the shop that’ll tickle your fancy.” Fred smiled charmingly and winked as he subtly slid his arm around the chair of the girl sitting nearest to him. He was having considerable success in chatting up three of the part-Veela cousins he had greeted before the ceremony. All of whom were exceptionally beautiful and all were giggling encouragingly at Fred.

Suddenly a hand clapped down on Fred’s shoulder and George slid smoothly into a chair between two of the girls with an identical grin.

“What, you’re not gonna introduce me?”

Fred made a face at his twin and kicked his leg under the table, something which only made George grin wider as he included himself in the conversation.

“George Weasley, ladies. As you can tell, we’re twins and I’m the more handsome of the two.”

“Keep dreaming, Lugless.” Fred recovered and grinned back, gesturing to each of the women with the hand that wasn’t currently making its way around the shoulders of the brunette beside him. “This is Marie, Isabelle and…” He winced slightly and held out his hand to the blonde on George’s left, hoping inspiration would strike him before she realised he’d forgotten her name.

“Amelie.”  She huffed indignantly and swept her silver skirts over her knee as she daintily hooked one leg over the other.

Seeming much more interested in Fred than his double who had just arrived, Isabelle on George’s right, cast her blue eyes quickly over the man who had just slotted himself in beside her and did a double take at the bandage.

“What ‘appened to your ‘ead?!”

George did not fail to note the way the women on either side of him edged away slightly and fixed him with slightly shocked, and very haughty expressions. His pride took a little hit and he wrinkled his nose a little, reaching up to gingerly touch the left side of his head.

“Oh that. Dark wizards, ya know. Dozens of them actually,” He explained truthfully and then embellished the story a little. “We took all of them on at once, left me a bit deaf but some of them were a lot worse off I assure you.”

George smiled broadly as the witches seemed suitably impressed and Amelie reached up to brush her fingers flirtatiously over the bandage. “Dozens? You must be very brave, George.”

“Well we are formally Gryffindors, gotta be brave for that. And I was there too.” Fred quickly chimed in, not keen to lose the attention to George so easily.

Marie turned in her seat, looking a little bemused. “Gryffindor” meant nothing to them after all.

George winked cheekily across the table and looked more than a little smug. “Yeah but you don’t have a war wound. Told you I was still better lookin’, Freddie.”

“Does it ‘urt terribly?”

His head was buzzing and humming again and George frowned a little and leaned his head a little further left to better hear over the music as Amelie’s words were lost.

“What was that?”

“I said, does it ‘urt?” She repeated louder, in slightly broken English.

“Oh, it’s not so bad. Just a little hard of hearing.”

“Old man.” Fred hid behind a cough and looked away innocently  as George shot him a look that clearly said ‘I didn’t hear it, but I’m pretty sure I know what it was’.

“You enjoyin’ the wedding then, girls?” Fred asked suddenly, ignoring his brother and bringing his arm back off of Marie’s chair.

Isabelle tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and cast a critical eye over her surroundings. “I still think Paris was more….appropriate. England simply does not have ze beauty.”

“It is not ze wedding I would ‘ave thought Fleur would want.” Marie added, lifting her nose slightly. They had clearly been inspecting the family their cousin had just married into.

The twins exchanged a look and their mouths twitched identically as they bit back snorts of laughter. George glanced over his shoulder to where Fleur was chatting animatedly with her new parents-in-law, seemingly praising their efforts.

On the verge of happy tears yet again, Molly embraced Fleur warmly, and George thought with amusement the pair of them had never been so warm to one another.

“Yeah, she seems completely miserable.” Fred grinned and winked, effectively softening the arrogance that the French women had let shine once again.

“Think I’ll give the floor a little spin.” George announced, getting to his feet and holding out his hand invitingly. “Any of you ladies care to join me?”

Isabelle was first to respond and with a bell-like giggle, took the hand George had offered and gracefully swept from her chair. Fred was more than happy with the arrangement, after all, it did still leave him Marie and Amelie to himself to charm.

There was definitely truth to what Charlie had joked about, and that was that it was probably very unlikely there would be another wedding very soon. Charlie was definitely the womaniser of the family and no one was quite sure where he had gotten that from. That wasn’t to say the twins didn’t get their fair share of charming pretty girls and had their share of girlfriends, and neither of them could foresee themselves settling down anytime soon. Ron was still only seventeen, and unless he and Hermione suddenly got their act together and realised that just about everybody in England knew they fancied each other, George wouldn’t be surprised if Ron sat around grouchy and jealous for the rest of his days. Percy? There wasn’t much to say about Percy. He hadn’t even said so much as a “how do you do?” in a long time, let alone give Bill and Fleur his well wishes.

Spinning Isabelle under his arm, George flashed a grin as she let him lead her onto the dance floor. It was definitely the Veela in her, like Fleur, that made her particularly beautiful. She was wearing a dress of pale lavender that swirled around her ankles and complimented the chocolate brown hair that fell in ringlets down her back.

But it didn’t take long for George to regret asking her to dance. After less than a full minute of spinning and rapid movement, the world began to sway before his eyes and the side of his head began to throb again. It was nothing bad, but he felt a little ill and the blood was pounding in his head, inhibiting his hearing more than it already was.

He stopped abruptly, causing his partner to nearly trip over his feet and earning an impatient ‘tsk’ from her.

“Sorry,” George apologised, letting her go “Need some air. Nice dance, love.”

Excusing himself, he slipped through the crowd outside the marquee and leaned on one of the poles as he waited for the spinning to subside.

 

“You okay, Fre-George? Darn, here I was sayin’ I couldn’t mix you two up now.”

George opened one blue eye and peered around to find Tonks making a face and shaking her head at herself. He smirked and held up a hand.

“Yeah I’m fine, just need air for the ol’ head.”

“Oi, what’d ya do, you lanky goose?” Tonks chirped, chipper and poked George good naturedly in the side, masking her concern.

“I danced, is that a crime? My poor head’s still sensitive, ya know?” The throbbing was starting to subside now and George let out a breath and straightened up. His head was still fuzzy like it was full of mothballs but the dizzy spell had mostly come and gone.

“That depends if you dance like Charlie or not.” Tonks quipped, twirling her wand around in her fingers and George followed her gaze toward the sky for a moment.   
It must be her turn on watch, George had completely forgotten that the Order and the Aurors were out here, keeping a wary eye out for any breaches of the protective enchantments.

“Some party, huh?” George grinned, looking slowly back over his shoulder and the witch beside him copied the action and beamed.

“Sure is. They sure deserve this.”

“Don’t think I’ve ever seen Mum so proud of any of us.” George smirked, his eyes twinkling in mirth as he drew himself back up to stand straight. “Or so relaxed for a long time.”

“Distractions do wonders.” Tonks said, gazing off in her husband’s direction idly and then clapping her hand on George’s arm. “Love to chat more, but I think I needa speak to me other half. Wotcher, George!”

The twin grinned and waved as Tonks excused herself. Having recovered from the dizziness, he re-joined the festivities. Swiping a glass of Firewhisky from a passing waiter and downing it quickly enough to drop it on the next tray that passed close by, he sidled his way back through the crowd.

 

The music had suddenly stopped, and a dead silence fell across the marquee, no one spoke and all eyes were turned to the dance floor where a silver stream had suddenly broken through the crowd and was twisting gracefully into the shape of a lynx.

Fred rose to his feet at the side of the dance floor and vaguely registered George pushing his way through to his side.

As Arthur stepped forward toward the Patronus, the cat opened its jaws and began to speak.

“The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.”

Someone screamed. And all hell broke loose.


	2. The Interrogation

** The Interrogation **

_And even when the rain falls_  
You and I will stand tall,  
No matter what you go through  
I’ll never leave you.

 _At the end of the day_  
Some you win, some you don’t,  
So I’m glad that I’m here  
With some friends that I know  
**Que Sera- Justice Crew**

“The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming.”

A woman screamed in the background as the Patronus faded and almost immediately chaos erupted in the middle of what had only a minute ago been the picture of happiness.

Kingsley had gotten them a warning, they had to make good use of it. There was an ominous rumble overhead as the protective enchantments surrounding The Burrow were broken and Arthur pointed his wand at his throat and his loud “Everybody out of here!” was amplified over the din.

Witches and wizards were Disapparating all over the place as seconds later Remus and Tonks shouted a shield charm in unison and the attack began.

Death Eaters surged into the crowd and curses flew everywhere as people fought or fled. The Order sprung to life and leapt immediately to the defence as Hermione turned on her heel and took Ron and Harry with her, vanishing in a swirl of colour.  
  
Fleur clutched at her husband’s arms as he produced his wand from his sleeve and shielded her.  
“Go, love! Where I told you!”

“I will not leave zis family, Bill!” She protested, her heart breaking as their wedding was destroyed around them and turned him around by the elbow to face her. Fleur tenderly cupped his scarred face and rested her head against his. “I am part of eet now.”

“Then you’ll do what I ask, Fleur. Run! I _will_ come for you. I promise.”

Fleur searched his blue eyes and found them pleading for her to stay safe and she could not deny him that any longer. A silver tear ran down her cheek.  
“I love you.” They whispered in unison and kissed once before Fleur vanished with a twirl and a pop and a curse shot through the very spot she had stood an instant ago.

With a growl, Bill leapt to arms and deflected a curse aimed for his head as a Death Eater appeared beside him.

“Molly!” Arthur roared, charging through the mess of scattered glass and overturned tables towards his wife who was struggling to hold her own as a spiral of Dark Magic came hurtling toward her. Flicking his wand, he sent one of the tables flying into it and knocked the wizard off his course into a pile of fabric.

Lupin was releasing the wolf in him with a wild growl of anger as he duelled alongside Charlie who was battling to shield Ginny from the curses, trying to keep the attack at bay and praying that they had not seen the Trio Disapparate.

Tonks’ hair had turned red as she sent a jet of fire at a Death Eater who turned it to sand in the air and stormed toward her.

Fred and George were back to back, ducking and weaving around each other in perfect synchronisation as they kept all angles covered. As one they both froze, wands raised and squaring off with a wizard one each side. As one, at just the right moment, the twins ducked down behind an overturned table, and heard a satisfying scream of pain as the Cruciatus curse hit the wrong target.

Tables were being overturned, every tablecloth and chair torn apart as they searched for their target who was nowhere to be found. There were at least a dozen intruders that Fred could see, a mixture of Death Eaters and Ministry wizards who were under the Imperious curse, and still worse, Ministry Wizards who were not under the influence.

Suddenly Charlie’s wand went flying by Fred’s head and, at his side, George barely twisted in time to avoid losing his remaining ear.  
There were getting to be too many of them when someone bellowed “Stop! Wands down!”

Everyone went quiet and there was a tense ceasefire as all eyes turned to the middle of the dance floor where Yaxley had Arthur’s wand beneath his foot and he and another Death Eater held him at bay with two wands digging into his throat.

“Unless you want Daddy to get what all bloodtraitors should get.” He finished with a sneer and without hesitation they all dropped their wands at their feet.

“Hm...” Rabastan Lestrange sneered from where he stood, his wand aimed unwavering at Bill’s head, who was glaring at him wildly. “Comradery was always the Order’s weakest link.”

“Or its strongest asset.” Remus snapped across the marquee and edged toward Tonks who stood by Ginny and was restrained by two wizards.

Yaxley ignored this and turned to Arthur, leaning in close and turning his wand to point at Molly warningly.  
“I’ll ask this nicely once. Tell me where Harry Potter is and no one needs to get in any trouble.”

“I don’t know.” Arthur replied steely, his jaw set as he drew himself up. “Now leave us alone.”

“Wrong answer.” Yaxley replied softly and turned to Molly who was being held back by Alecto Carrow. “Cruc-”

“Mum!” Ginny cried out, struggling forward a few steps and sufficiently distracting Yaxley who sneered and lowered his wand.

“Take ‘em all and search the house.” He ordered, grabbing Arthur by the back of his robes and marching him forward out of the marquee.

Fred fought against the grip the wizard had on his coat as he was pushed toward the Burrow, earning him a sharp poke in the back and a warning snarl from the Death Eater. He cast a glance around frantically, trying to see if anyone had been hurt.

Ginny was kicking and swearing at her captor who had her by her elbow and was having a tough time controlling her. He got sick of it after a minute and roughly picked her up, pinning her arms to her sides as the underage witch shouted and struggled.

“Leave her alone!” Tonks snapped from behind, her hair was still red in her anger.

Remus was the calmest of them all, and knew better than to fight when they were unarmed and outnumbered. But the Death Eaters knew that Remus Lupin was probably the most dangerous, and had taken precautions accordingly, two wands were always trained on his head.

Fred craned his head over his shoulder to find his brothers. Bill, who was usually so in control of himself, looked frantic. Who could blame him? This was his wedding day and he had sent his bride away to safety, he looked sick with worry.

Charlie was alongside Bill, with Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange keeping them secure. The Lestrange brothers were sadistic and cruel, and Rodolphus was taking great pleasure in making Charlie hop every few steps by firing a curse at his feet.

In front of Fred, George was being marched along by his shoulder and was leaning lopsidedly toward the left.

They were all marched into the kitchen and the table flew away and crashed carelessly into the wall, opening up the space.

Roughly, the captors released their charges but did not lower their wands. In a matter of seconds, despite despairing cries from Molly, the kitchen had been torn apart. Every cupboard was opened and emptied, every chair was thrown about the room.

Fred’s fists were clenched so tight that his knuckles went white, and he could sense that George behind him was much the same.  
No one needed Lupin or Arthur to tell them to keep their mouth shut and not tell them anything. Thankfully, no one knew any specifics like location to give away anyway, and Molly hadn’t even known Harry, Ron and Hermione were planning on leaving in the first place.

Yaxley, who seemed to have appointed himself in charge of the search, stepped forward again and looked slowly from one Weasley to the next before his eyes lingered on Remus and Tonks.

“Who wants to step forward and tell me where Harry Potter is?”

No one moved and his cold eyes narrowed. With a jerk of his head, one of the Ministry workers stepped forward with a roll of parchment and milky eyes. He was undoubtedly under Yaxley’s Imperious Curse.

“Who do we have?”

The wizard, a man with a short but broad stature and a prominent moustache, stepped in front of Arthur and unrolled the scroll.  
“Weasley, Arthur, 47. Pure-blood. Occupation: the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. Married to Molly Prewett, seven children, two youngest still of Hogwarts age. Known member of the Order of the Phoenix.”

He moved along to Molly whose hand was tightly entwined with her husband’s.  
“Weasley, nee Prewett, Molly, 47. Pure-blood. Married to Arthur Weasley, seven children. Known member of the Order of the Phoenix.”

He moved along again to where Ginny stood scowling, but frightened between her parents and her brother.  
“Weasley, Ginevra, 15. Pure-blood. Begins sixth year at Hogwarts as of September. Youngest child of Arthur and Molly Weasley.”

“Weasley, Charles, 24. Pure-blood. Occupation: Dragonologist. Resides in Romania most of the year. Known member of the Order of the Phoenix.”

“Weasley, Fred, 19. Pure-blood. Occupation: Co-owner and co-founder of Diagon Alley’s ‘Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes’. Identical twin of George Weasley. Known member of the Order of the Phoenix.”

“Weasley, George, 19. Pure-blood. Occupation: Co-owner and co-founder of Diagon Alley’s ‘Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes’. Identical twin of Fred Weasley-”

“Less identical now by the looks of things.” One of the Death Eaters interrupted with a sneer and Fred felt his skin prickling with anger.

“-Known member of the Order of the Phoenix.”

He finally moved along to the last of the family and peered at Bill, taking note of the new ring on his finger.

“Weasley, William, 26. Pure-blood. Occupation: Curse-breaker for Gringotts. Eldest child of Arthur and Molly Weasley. Married. Known member of the Order of the Phoenix. May show occasional lycanthropic tendencies.”

As if to illustrate the last point, Bill growled quietly and tried to repress the urge to try and wrestle a wand off the man as he moved on to the last two.

“Lupin, Remus, 37. Half-blood. Formally a Hogwarts professor. Known member of the Order of the Phoenix. Werewolf.”

“And finally; Lupin, neeTonks, Nymphadora, 24. Half-blood. Occupation: Auror. Known Metamorphmagus and member of the Order of the Phoenix.”

Having finished, the wizard rolled up the parchment and stepped back into the throng of Death Eaters.

“Well, well, well…” Yaxley drawled. “Blood traitors and werewolves. But I only counted five ginger children. There should be seven.” He raised his wand and traced Ginny’s face with it. “Where are the others?”

“Ill.” George had the foresight to answer, his thoughts immediately going to the ghoul they had disguised in Ron’s bed. “Spattergroit. I wouldn’t go up there.”

Yaxley narrowed his eyes and lifted his head to the ceiling before drawing them down to George slowly. “Really? See, I don’t think I believe ya. I think you’re lying to me. I think the other kid’s with Harry Potter.” He jerked his head toward the living room and the staircase.

“Tear the wreck apart if you have to. Search it all!”

In a flurry of dark magic, they all dispersed. Furniture was overturned, and even the chimney was searched thoroughly.

Leaving two Death Eaters to keep them all in the kitchen, the rest nearly did tear up the whole house. Not a bed was left with sheets on it, not a closet or chest of drawers was left with clothes inside. Anything that looked suspicious or anything that looked like Harry Potter had been using it was seized immediately.

Only when they reached Ron’s attic bedroom, did the invaders hesitate. Two Death Eaters and two Ministry officials stood frozen in the doorway as they gazed at the grotesque shape in the bed that was the disguised ghoul.

“They weren’t lyin’, Yaxley! Somethin’s got spattergroit for sure!” The shout carried down a few floors to where Yaxley and Amycus Carrow had overturned the twins’ old bedroom.

Leaving most of them to continue the search, Yaxley, and the Carrow and Lestrange siblings stormed back into the kitchen.

“You’ve all been lying.” Rodolphus seethed, and thick cords poured from the end of his wand wrapped around Lupin, squeezing tightly. “Liars! All of you! Where is Harry Potter?!”

Not a word answered him. Tonks leapt forward, trying to break the spell binding her husband and was promptly sent sliding back into the wall with a thud.

Then movement from Amycus caught George’s eye and he subtly nudged Fred beside him. The Death Eater was turning over a small, golden telescope in his fingers.  
Getting the message, Fred took the lead and moved as if to snatch it away. “Don’t touch that!”

Amycus looked up and Yaxley snapped his attention to the twin that was looking quite uncomfortable and like he had just said something he shouldn’t have.  
“What are you hiding, boy?” He snarled, an inch away from Fred’s face faster than any of them could have blinked.

“Nothin’.” Fred said hastily, and swallowed, edging back as far as he could. “It’s really not anything more than a telescope.”

Yaxley looked suddenly suspicious, and was not so quickly taken in. Amycus Carrow, however, was taken in by the guise and looked altogether triumphant. Before Yaxley could bark at him not to do it, he had lifted the thing to his eye.

Bang!

There was a great puff of black smoke and everyone but the twins jumped a mile and stared wide eyed at the scene.

With a pained roar, Amycus flailed his wand wildly to clear the smoke and had been left with a great, shockingly purple bruise over his eye. The boxing telescope lay on the floor, a little boxing glove sticking out of the end.

Fred and George were twitching with the mammoth effort it took not to laugh as identical grins started to creep over their faces. And then George couldn’t hold it in and snickered aloud. It was a small victory, but it was a victory none the less.

“You think that’s funny?” Amycus fumed, his wand drawn as he stalked over in front of Yaxley and seized the front of George’s dress robes in one hand. “I’ll give you somethin’ you won’t be laughing about!” He pressed the point of his wand hard to the side of George’s head, right where his ear had been.

And then George was screaming and Molly was shrieking for her boy as he started to sink down toward the ground trying to get away from the searing, burning pain that was like a knife digging into the wound and twisting.

Carrow followed him and kept the pressure on hard as the bandages began to turn scarlet.  
“Is it still funny, laughing boy?! Because I think this is hilarious.”

“Get off him!” Charlie and Fred both shouted in unison, bristling with anger. Fred’s eyes were filling with angry tears as he watched George trying desperately to writhe away all the while screaming in agony.

“Crucio!”

More screaming. Charlie was on the floor twisting at angles that no human body was ever meant to twist in as Yaxley sneered down at him.

“Stop it!” Ginny was screaming and Molly was trying not to sob at the sight, her hands covering her mouth.

George couldn’t hear any of it. The pain was so intense he felt sure he was dying and the blood rushing in his head had rendered him completely deaf to any sounds around him. His eyes were closed tightly and he felt the blood beginning to flow through the bandages and down his neck again. And then suddenly the wand was gone and he took a deep, gasping breath and dissolved into whimpers and groans as he slumped on his hands and knees on the floor.

He managed to open one very watery blue eye and his hearing slowly began to return. Then he realised he wasn’t the only one whimpering with aftershocks.

Charlie scrambled to his feet, pale and trembling so badly he had to lean on Ginny’s shoulder until his legs stopped shaking enough to support him again.

Fred struggled from the restraining grip the sneering Rabastan had on him and dropped to his knees beside his twin, covering the wound with his own hands to try and stem the bleeding.  
“George….George, are you-”

George nodded very slightly and slowly raised his eyes to glare fiercely at the Death Eaters. Letting Fred support him, he forced himself to get to his feet. He refused to be so low to these people.

“Liars and blood traitors the lot of ‘em.”

“Take ‘em one at a time.” Yaxley smirked, his wand drawn. “Actually…two at a time. If one won’t talk, we’ll take it out on their family. They’ll break…everyone breaks.”

xxxXxxx

“I don’t know! I don’t know!” Molly wailed from the living room and another harsh smack sounded as they struck Arthur across the face hard. Stray books and quills began to tremble and shake as Molly was both bristling with anger and nearly bursting with the pain of watching her family beaten in front of her as she was interrogated for answers she did not have and would not give.

“Harry Potter has stayed here in the past. He was here very recently, wasn’t he?” Yaxley growled as cords burst from the tip of his wand and bound Arthur’s wrists tightly to the arms of his chair.  
“Wasn’t he?!” He shouted.

No matter what, she could not say anything about Harry. Not a word to indicate they had been in contact with him at all, let alone living in the same house.

“No.” She repeated stubbornly and the book on the floor at her feet trembled again with unstable magic and emotions.

“Crucio!”

xxxXxxx

“You’re a close friend and confidant of Potter, don’t pretend otherwise. Where. Would. He. Go?”

“You’ll have to kill me. I don’t know where he is.” Lupin growled, a low rumble deep in his throat as he pulled and strained against his restraints.

Bill yelped as an invisible hand wrapped around his throat and his breathing was cut off.

“I don’t know.” Remus spat, his knuckles going white as he looked over at the man struggling desperately for air beside him. The freckles on Bill’s face were standing out more and more against his rapidly paling skin and he was nearly turning blue before Alecto Carrow ended the spell and brought her wand down over Remus’ face instead. It left a long, thin scratch behind that stung and bit.

“Harry Potter was never here.” Lupin barely even flinched at the blow and remained as steady as he could while Bill next to him was hacking and coughing trying to regain his breath.

“Crucio!” The witch snarled and left Remus screaming as she turned back to Bill.

“Unless you want me to track your pretty little bride down and kill her one silky hair at a time, you’ll tell me where you last saw Harry Potter.”

Bill screwed up his face in a fierce glare and the gruesome scars stretching down his face stood out as much as at the freckles as he set his jaw and shook his head.  
“In the Daily Prophet, I ‘spose.”

xxxXxxx

“If you touch one hair on my sister’s head again I’ll-”

“What? Set a dragon on me?” The Death Eater sneered and brought his hand down hard across Charlie’s face.

“Maybe.” Charlie panted, sweat dripping down his brow as he willingly took the punishment for Tonks and Ginny.

“Crucio!”

He screamed again, writhing in the chair in pain and trying in vain to get away from the torture.

Tonks had her eyes closed and was trying to keep her composure listening to Charlie screaming. When she opened them they were black and angry and she glanced over at Ginny who was staring straight ahead, a tear running silently down her cheek.

The older witch was sure she knew just how Ginny was feeling knowing Harry was somewhere out there and not knowing if they had been found or hurt. It was how she felt listening to them try to beat information out of Remus. Her heart was breaking with worry and when Charlie’s screams subsided into whimpers and panting, Tonks willed with all her might to be able to use wandless magic well.

xxxXxxx

“Harry who?”

Whack.

“Harry who?”

Whack.

“Harry who?”

An irritated hiss and another whack.

Fred spat blood onto the floor and looked Rodolphus in the eye again. “Harry, wh-”

“Say it one more time, and your brother loses the other ear.”

Fred shut up with a sigh and blinked away the light-headedness he was starting to feel. He was bleeding from a small gash along the top of his head and still trembling from aftershocks of the Cruciatus curse.

In the living room he heard his father scream again and clenched his jaw stubbornly, trying not to show how badly this was affecting him.

Lestrange glowered down at Fred and then turned his attention to George whose bandage was entirely coated in crimson and looked all the more pale for it. Pointing his wand at the side of his head and then moving it down to his chest and back up again, Lestrange reached out and wrenched the twin’s head back by his bright red hair.

“Where would Potter go?”

George breathed heavily and swallowed a lump in his throat as he felt the point of the wand at his temple and replied without further hesitation.  
“Harry who?”

“Crucio!”

And there was the white hot pain again, and George was screaming. As suddenly as it came, it passed and then Fred was screaming instead and thrashing madly in his chair. And that almost hurt more than the torture itself.

“Even if we knew anythin’, which we don’t…” George panted as soon as his twin’s cries had subsided.

“You’d have to kill us before we told you.” Fred whimpered, his voice hoarse and dry.


	3. The Aftermath

** The Aftermath **

_Well I don’t know why I came here tonight,_  
I got the feeling that something ain’t right,  
I’m so scared in case I fall off my chair,  
And I’m wondering how I’ll get down the stairs.

 _Clowns to the left of me,_  
Jokers to the right,  
Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.

**Stuck in the Middle With You- Stealers Wheel**

xxxXxxx

It was hours of torture and fruitless interrogation before finally, with a final blow to Arthur, Yaxley released the bonds holding him to the chair and pushed him back out to the others.

“Constant surveillance on all of ‘em.” Yaxley growled in frustration and stared at Amycus Carrow who would have a brilliant bruise for a very long time. “And get your face fixed, Carrow.”

He turned on his heel and fixed each of the Weasleys and Remus and Tonks in turn with a long, piercing stare as the Carrows threw a collection of wands on the floor.

“We’ll be watching you, you can count on that, bloodtraitors.”

With a series of pops and swirls of black, they all Disapparated.

xxxXxxx

They were all hurt, no one had escaped unscathed, but they were all alive and relatively safe and nobody had given Harry away. They were all prepared to die for this, though fortunately none had to. It could have gone much worse.

The three women were comparatively unharmed, although Tonks had suffered the Cruciatus curse several times and Ginny’s cheek had swollen. Charlie was so pale he could barely stand without his legs giving out from the torture. Bill would have a few new scars adorning his face and had been battered quite a bit, however Remus was the worse of the two. There was a thin trail of dried blood running from Fred’s temple down to his chin and he was sporting a shiner of a black eye among other bruises, whilst George had lost so much more blood from his ear he was paler than Charlie was and the freckles all over his skin stood out as much as his hair. But Arthur looked the worst off. He had taken any punishment meant for his wife and far more besides.

“Well that could have been worse…”George said a little hoarsely but as cheerfully as he could possibly manage.

There was a tense, uneasy silence for several long moments before Remus and Tonks threw their arms around each other, both shaking. Molly nearly dissolved into tears and set about examining all her children. Fred and George pulled up chairs and dropped wearily into them while Charlie just slid down on the ground beside Ginny and ran his hands through his hair. Arthur went straight to Bill and pulled his eldest son into a hug.

“I’m so sorry, Bill…”

“On your wedding day and all…” Molly sniffled as she gently started to peel the ruined bandages off George’s head.

“Yeah, Phlegm must be worried sick.” Ginny murmured, swallowing and pushing herself up to gather the wands strewn on the floor.

“Ginny!” Bill snapped before sighing and squeezing his father’s shoulder tightly once. “It was bound ta happen right? Sooner or later it was gonna happen.”

“Bill’s right.” Remus spoke up with his arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulders and took his wand as Ginny held it out to him. “It would have just happened a little later.”

His eyes softened as he looked at the newly married man. Lupin felt sorry for him, Bill had been forced to send his bride away on their wedding day so he could freely stand for Harry and suffer with the rest of them. The werewolf didn’t know where Fleur had run to, but he knew she was safe wherever Bill had sent her, but that wouldn’t have made the separation any easier for the poor man.

“You should go now, Bill.” He said, softly but firmly as he met Bill’s eyes, trying to tell him that he did understand what he was going through.

Bill nodded, and looked around at the overturned Burrow.   
“I wanna stay and help fix this up, but-”

“Son, don’t you worry about us, we’re all okay.” Arthur cut him off quickly and smiled brightly despite the situation. “It could have been much worse. You did a very brave thing today. Actually more than one and I don’t think I properly got to say yet just how proud I am of you, William.”

A smile finally slid back over Bill’s lean face and he nodded, tucking his wand up his sleeve securely.

“Thanks, Dad. I gotta get to Fleur.”

After taking a few steps back from everyone and smiling reassuringly at both his parents, Bill twirled on his heel and vanished with a pop.

 

“Charlie, you okay?”

Tonks asked, finally letting go of Remus’ hand and kneeling down beside her former classmate with a concerned frown.  
The man grinned. Despite his appearance, his spirit was as relentlessly upbeat as it usually was.

“I’ve gotten much worse from Longhorns in Romania.” To illustrate the point he pulled up his untucked shirt over his belly, exposing the burns and scars there. “It’d take a lot more than that to bother me.”

Tonks shook her head and Molly tutted from where she was examining George.

“You three will be the death of your parents.”

George shuddered in his chair as the sodden bandages dropped into a pile on the floor and Molly gasped at the sight. The wound had reopened completely and, while not nearly as bad as when the damage had first been done, George’s head was a mess again. Her hands trembled badly as she conjured fresh bandages and tried to rebind it.

“So help me, if they touch my children again…” The end of her sentence was lost as Fred stood up next to her and gently took the bandages from her hands.

“I’ll do it, Mum, you sit down.”

“Arthur…” Remus said, looking at Mr Weasley pointedly.

The latter nodded and turned toward the smashed kitchen window. Raising his wand, he thought of his own wedding day, and a fondness swelled inside him as he muttered. “Expecto Patronum…”

A strong silver stream poured from the tip of his wand and twisted into the shape of a weasel before its caster.

“Family safe. Do not reply. We are being watched.” He said slowly and clearly, and the weasel’s mouth moved silently along with him. With a flick of his wand, the patronus turned and dashed out of the window, vanishing in a stream of silver.

“We’ll start helping you put things right.” Tonks stepped forward with Lupin who looked grim, waving her wand at the shattered window and restoring it.

Molly’s eyes softened and she pulled the young woman into a hug. “Thank you, dear. Thank you for staying.”

“What else were we gonna do? Leave ya all?”

xxxXxxx

“Would you stop squirmin’? This is hard enough to do without you trying to get away.” Fred screwed up his nose as he tried to figure out how the bandage was supposed to go around his brother’s head like it had been before. “I don’t get how muggles live without magic.”

“Ouch! Could you be more careful? That hurts like a-”

“Sorry, I’m trying!”

Molly sighed, and looked sadly at her twins as she sent a stack of newly repaired plates back into their cupboard.  
“Oh, why did you boys have to antagonise them?” 

George bit down on his lip and whimpered a little in pain as Fred pressed too hard on the side of his head. His two-eared counterpart cringed and tried to steady his fingers as he wrapped the bandages around George’s head tightly.

“Because,” George started, opening one watery eye “-if he was stupid enough to take-”

“-anything from _our_ old room-” Fred continued.

“-then he totally had it coming-”

“-and besides-”

“-it’s what we do and they won’t take that away from us.” The twins finished in unison, looking up with identical expressions of pride.

Molly sighed and pursed her lips, lowering her wand and putting her hands on her hips.

“George, he could have killed you!”

George shrugged and tilted his head to the side slightly as Fred pulled the bandage tight and fastened it off. The pressure on the wound was immediately helping and the pain had by now subsided into a sharp throbbing.

“They coulda killed any of us and it’d be dyin’ for the right cause. Besides, I’d have gone laughing at least.”

“George Fabian Weasley, don’t you joke about that to me right now.” Molly snapped, her brown eyes flashing. “Will you boys take something seriously for once?”

“Mum, we take plenty of things seriously!” Fred retorted indignantly. “It’s just our own kind of serious, you know us.”

“Hey, hey, hey…” Arthur reappeared down the stairs. “What is going on?”

“Arthur, your sons need to learn that war is not a prank or a game.” Molly snapped, her eyes full of angry tears. Emotions were high everywhere, and everyone’s fuses were understandably shorter than usual tonight.

George got to his feet suddenly, knocking Fred’s hand off the back of his chair.

“Uh, hello?” He pointed to the side of his head. “I think we noticed. Or did you forget?”

“Don’t talk to your mother like that!” Arthur quickly interceded, stepping to his wife’s side.

“STOP SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER!”

Everyone suddenly went quiet and all eyes turned toward the door where Charlie and Ginny stood looking bewildered as to the commotion. It was Ginny who had shouted and was now glaring furiously at everyone.   
“Nobody needs this right now! We can’t start bickering with each other when-” She cut herself off just in time. They could already be under surveillance if Voldemort had taken over the Ministry and it was probably not even safe to mention Harry in casual conversation. Let alone now. Everyone would know exactly what she meant anyway.

“Just stop it!” She repeated in a huff and turned on her heel, storming past Charlie back upstairs to keep cleaning.

There was a stunned silence for nearly twenty seconds as everyone just stared at the doorway after Ginny. Charlie stood blinking and then rubbed his ear and whistled awkwardly. “Boy is she loud...”

Arthur let out a tense breath and looked between Molly, and the twins standing side by side at each other’s defence.

“Look, we can’t have this happening now…I think we all know that.” He said diplomatically and ran a hand over his bruised and tired face.

“Fred, George, you don’t know what it feels like as a parent to watch your children get hurt, let your mother be, she’s worried about all of you…”

The twins deflated just a little and although the identical scowls remained in place, they both directed them at the floor instead.

“Molly…” Arthur said gently, wrapping his arm around her and tenderly rubbing her shoulder. “They’re not boys anymore. They’ve grown up…mostly…and they know war isn’t a game. They’ve fought for it more than once now…”   
He glanced over at his twins and felt a sudden pang of nostalgia as he looked at them standing there wounded and proud. How he missed the days he felt like he could protect his whole family just by gathering them in his arms, when his children were still small enough and dependant enough to let him.  
“Let them have their fun while they can still have it. They’re not stupid…daring and risky definitely, but not stupid. Now…let’s just calm down a bit and get cleaned up before we start hexing each other and making their jobs easier.”

He sighed and fixed the twins with one of his rare ‘no nonsense’ looks as he gave Molly’s shoulder another reassuring squeeze and kissed the side of her head tenderly.

xxxXxxx

It was well into the early hours of the morning when everyone slowly began trudging to their rooms to collapse wearily in their beds. The Burrow seemed so much emptier now after having it filled to bursting point until this morning. The Delacours were well and truly gone, Bill and Fleur now had no need to stay there again and Harry, Ron and Hermione were…who knew where.

They were safe enough for now, as long as no one gave anything away where it could be seen or heard. The ghoul had done its job effectively, and they seemed to believe that it was Ron well enough to not have a second look.

How much longer they would be safe for…well that was another question that no one knew the answer to.

George sat shirtless on the foot of his old bed with a towel over his arm and a bowl of water precariously placed beside him on the mattress. With the help of a numbing tonic from his mother to try to keep the peace in the family, he wasn’t hurting nearly as much but he was sticky with dried blood and his dress robes were sufficiently ruined. Not that it mattered anyway.

He dipped the end of the towel in the bowel and squeezed out most of the water before beginning to dab and wipe at the blood down his neck. “It took forever to get it outta my hair last time, I’m sure I lost part of my scalp doing it…” He muttered.

“I know, I told Mum she should just cut it all off but then you’d look terrible and be a bad reflection on me.” Fred smirked from across the room where he lay flat on his back in his pyjamas.

“By the way…” George looked up and made a face at his twin. “Nursing? Not a good career for you, just in case.”

“Hey, I don’t think I did it too bad, it’s still on isn’t it?”

George chuckled a little, dipping the towel back in the bowl and squeezing out a stream of reddened water.

“I wonder if he’ll ever get that bruise off…” George mused after several minutes of trying to clean himself up in silence.

“Unless he nicked some of the cream along with the telescope, he won’t have much fun trying.” Fred smirked and started to draw shapes in the air idly with his wand. Suddenly he sat upright and swung his legs onto the floor.

“…I’m pretty sure neither of us got one of those French girls.”

“Hey, at least _I_ got a dance.” George defended indignantly and a silence fell between the twins for three long seconds before identical grins broke out over their faces and as one they dissolved into laughter.

What was so funny wasn’t always very clear with Fred and George and often, they didn’t even need a real reason to laugh. But at least someone in the house had to see some humour in the situation, some light that made it that much easier to deal with.

Within a few seconds George had knocked the bowl to the floor and Fred was laughing so hard for no real reason that he slid off the bed with tears in his eyes and landed with a thud on the floor.  
George lifted his gaze to the ceiling, where Ginny’s room was right above theirs and wasn’t surprised to hear her stamping on the floor to tell them to be quiet. That only set him off more and he dissolved into a fresh fit of laughter, dropping his bloody, damp towel onto the floor next to the forgotten bowl.

Their fit only ended when both twins were gasping for breath to calm themselves down and neither could think of why they were laughing in the first place.

“I can’t wait to go back to the flat…” George sighed, his chest heaving as he regained his breath and the last few snickers dissolved. “No one else to wake up there.”

“I-I know…” Fred wiped a tear of mirth from his eye and leaned his ginger head back against his bed from his new position leaning against it. Regaining control of himself, the older twin’s grin slowly shrunk back and he stifled a yawn behind his hand as he looked over at George.

“Don’t look now, Lugless, but you’re still a mess.”

George smiled and reached for his wand. He gave it a flick and the bowl and towel sprung back up to his side. “Aguamenti…” With the word, a jet of water flowed from his wand and the bowl refilled.

“You’re not exactly unscathed yourself.”

“What was that you said tonight?” Fred paused and pretended to think. “War wounds, right? What’s the fun in getting rid of them straight away?”

“Double standards!”

“We’re twins.” Fred smirked. “Double is what we do best.”

Almost another twenty minutes passed in silence as George cleaned up what he could and by the time he extinguished the light in the room and lay back in his bed, Fred was snoring softly across the room on top of his blankets.

xxxXxxx

Weeks went by that soon turned into months, and Diagon Alley grew darker every day. There were less of the general magical community mulling around and more Snatchers and Death Eaters raiding shops and paying house calls every day. Half of the Alley had closed down and it would only be a matter of time before the Weasleys would be forced to make themselves very scarce.

Each day Bill would look over his shoulder as he entered Gringotts and every day there would be a different witch or wizard dressed all in black robes watching him from across the street.

Every day, Arthur found himself followed around the Ministry and could not so much as turn his head or lift a quill without feeling at least three pairs of eyes on him.

Fleur spent much of her days at the Burrow with Molly for a time to keep her mother-in-law company and not a day could go by at the family home when they did not feel like the very walls had eyes.

Even Percy, though continuing to work for the Ministry, still could not look his father in the eye if they happened to pass and knew he too was being watched keenly. Although unaware of anything that had transpired with his family in recent months, and of Harry, Ron and Hermione’s travels, he knew it was all so very wrong. And he had sense enough to know that the Weasley family was known throughout the corrupt wizarding world, as the biggest bloodtraitors around and a waste of pureblood.

Fred and George showed no fear and refused to close up shop, though business had diminished almost entirely. They could not leave the building without being followed and after multiple acts of vandalism, they raised protective enchantments all around the shop.

Until April.


	4. The Evasion

** The Evasion **

_When enemies are at your door,_  
I’ll carry you away from war,  
If you need help, if you need help,  
Your hope dangling by a string,  
I’ll share in your suffering,  
To make you well, to make you well,  
  
**Gone, Gone, Gone- Phillip Phillips**

Bill appeared with a pop on the ground floor of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. It was barely seven in the morning but he wasn’t taking any risks of getting there too late.

“George! Fred!” He called out, starting to climb the many flights of stairs noisily, taking the steps two at a time. The moment Ron had shown back up at Shell Cottage with Harry and Hermione, and had filled Bill and Fleur in on the events at Malfoy Manor, Bill knew without a doubt the Weasleys could no longer stay put.

He had come straight from the Burrow where he had caught his father before he could go to work, filling him in enough to know that they would have moved up a great deal on the Undesirables list, and that the Death Eaters knew Ron was with Harry.

“Fred and George, would you come out?!” He shouted again as he paused at the foot of the final flight of stairs that led up to the small landing outside the flat the twins lived in.

“Alright, alright, keep your hair on…” Fred’s voice sounded from above and Bill looked straight up to see Fred leaning over the railing tousle haired and still in his pyjamas.

“What’s your problem?” The younger brother yawned as Bill trotted up to his side and paused to catch his breath.

After gathering himself, Bill ran a hand through his long hair and looked Fred seriously in the eye.  
“Tell George you needa get your things together. They know.”

“Know what?” Fred rubbed the sleep from his left eye and arched a ginger eyebrow at his brother.

“That Ron’s with him…they know we’re actively supportin’ Harry Potter and that’s all the reason they need not to bide their time anymore.” Bill explained briefly. “They’ll be coming after everyone soon.”

Fred suddenly looked much more alert, and much more serious than usual and his gaze went immediately to the front windows for a few seconds. The time was finally coming. He was almost surprised the Weasleys had gone this long without any more attacks.  
“Right. I’ll tell him…this means…”

“Yeah…you know where to go.” Bill nodded. “When it’s time…and Fred…don’t you two go cutting it as fine as you tend to.”

xxxXxxx

George grunted and rolled over on his bed, hiding his face under the blankets and trying to get just another ten minutes of sleep as Fred stumbled out of the room.

It felt like he had just closed his eyes when suddenly the blankets were pulled from him and dumped unceremoniously with a soft rustle in a pile on the floor as Fred’s voice woke him again.   
“George, come on, you needa get up.”

“I do not. It’s still early…” George grumbled without opening his eyes and rolled onto his right side.

“Yeah you do. We might not have much time.”

George would have resisted and complained more, and was on the verge of doing so when something in Fred’s tone made him open his eyes. Fred sounded too serious this morning, and too alert. Whoever had been shouting and clattering up the stairs to see them must have had something important to say. Suddenly, he sat upright faster than Fred could blink.

“Was that Dad?”

Satisfied that George would be properly awake very soon, Fred shook his head and started to dress.  
“It was Bill. He says we better get up and packed…could have to leave any time because-”

“-They know about Ron.” George joined in and they finished in unison. It worked, and George was wide awake and staring to get dressed in a matter of seconds.

xxxXxxx

The twins stopped dead in their tracks on the stairs as an unnatural cold began to fill the shop and both were filled with a sense of deep dread as their hands tightened on their wands and their blood seemed to run cold in their veins.   
Something was coming.

They exchanged a look, hoisted their bags higher on their shoulders, turned on their heels…and nearly fell down the stairs.

“What the-”

“Anti-Disapparition Jinx…” Fred groaned, “They’re not as stupid as they look.”

Without warning, the windows burst in showers of glass and three black clad figures stormed into the shop wands at the ready and Bellatrix Lestrange cackling wildly at the head. A shelf of Trick Wands collapsed, sending rubber chickens everywhere as they spread out around the ground floor.

“Come on out, little boys!” Lestrange laughed delightedly as she looked up at the several flights of stairs where the twins had stood only moments before. “Come and say hello!”

Two floors above them, Fred and George stood opposite each other, concealed behind parallel shelves and wands drawn and ready as they heard the Death Eaters begin to storm the shop.  
George shot Fred a look from his position and held a finger to his lips as he very slowly peered out around the corner and through the railings down at the witch and wizards.   
With a well-aimed spell, he made four nose-biting teacups leap from their boxes and rain down on the head of the Death Eater right below.

He howled in pain as they starting snapping at every part of his face they could reach and Lestrange whirled around on her tall heels at the commotion, looking around for the culprits with a snarl.

Blasting away the novelty cups and shattering them into pieces, Avery cursed and shot a jinx in entirely the wrong direction as he started to storm up the stairs.

“Wait!” Bellatrix snapped and then smirked and giggled. “You know how we’ll find them.”

Fred, who had been weighing up the chances of making it safely out the door, where they could Apparate away, by jumping down and making a run for it, suddenly felt the air grow even colder. He looked over at George who was peering out from his vantage point again and looked almost pained as he stared out.

All of a sudden there was a loud sweeping sound, like the wings of a Thestral as it took flight, and a huge hooded shape soared through the shattered glass. George saw it and felt the side of his head start to sting as he swallowed a lump of nervousness. The air was filled with the heavy rattling sounds of the Dementor breathing and the younger twin closed his eyes against the throbbing in his head and barely stifled a groan which was not missed by his twin.

His wound had been caused by dark magic, and the presence of so much evil and decay that the creature was infecting the air with, seemed to aggravate the injury.

The Death Eaters had gone still down below, just waiting for the Dementor to sniff them out so they could seize them or kill them themselves.

Fred didn’t need to be able to see it or to read George’s lips as he mouthed the word “Dementor” to know exactly what was in the shop. His teeth were nearly chattering he was so cold and the air itself was heavy with dread. He clutched his wand tighter and kept a wary eye out as he heard the rasping breaths of the foul creature growing closer.

Then all of a sudden the nine foot tall, hooded figure appeared behind him, it’s gnarled and rotting hands reaching out for Fred. Before Fred could so much as raise his wand to cast a Patronus, it had swooped down on him and begun to feed.

Everything was being drained from him, any hope that they would make it out and to Auntie Muriel’s safely was pulled away in favour of despair and resignation. Any happiness and good memories…and there were sure a lot of those, felt like they were being ripped from him forever. Fred Weasley was a feast for any Dementor.

There was a gleeful laugh from below and a triumphant, “Gotcha!” carried up two flights of stairs to George who had still been peering down at the Death Eaters and trying to push out the pain in his head.   
He whipped around suddenly and, quicker than a Firebolt, jumped to his feet, aimed his wand and shouted, “Expecto Patronum!”

A stream of silver erupted from his wand and formed itself into George’s corporeal Patronus. The silver meerkat, though smaller in size than Fred’s fox or Ginny’s very impressive horse, was more than a match for a single Dementor and shot toward its target immediately.

The Dementor let out a shriek as the white magic barrelled into it with a burst of light, and shot back from Fred who gasped loudly as he was freed. Taking a few moments to steady himself and regain his breath, Fred looked wide eyed at George whose Patronus was soundly chasing off the dark creature.

“Duck!” He shouted, and George ducked as a curse flew over his head.

“Luck’s run out, Freddie and Georgie!” Bellatrix screeched over the sounds of shattering glass and splintering wood, deflecting a stunning spell that George sent her way. “‘Cause we’ll win! We’ll win!”

Bottles of love potion and crates of Skiving Snackboxes rained down from their places as the twins began a mad dash through the shop. Each time they got closer to the stairs, a Death Eater would appear in front of them, they would turn the other way and their path would be blocked by another.

They were backed against the railing of the third floor, and seeming for all the world stuck between a rock and a hard place with Bellatrix pointing a wand at George’s chest and the two men coming up the stairs behind them.

“Aw…no more fun…it’s time there were two less itty, bitty, bloodtraitors in the world.” The witch giggled and jabbed Fred hard in the chest. “Say bye.”

“…Okay…” Fred rasped and shot George a look from the corner of his eye that made the smile vanish from Bellatrix’s face. “Bye!”

And before Lestrange could snap a killing curse, Fred had thrown the clump of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder from his sleeve and plunged the whole store into blackness.

“Get them!” Bellatrix screeched as she grabbed madly in front of her and only brushed the corner of a jacket as the twins scrambled for the stairs.

They may have been outnumbered, and they may have been outjinxed, but the element of surprise was a huge point in Fred and George’s favour. They knew the shop as well or better than they knew the Burrow and every secret passage in and out of Hogwarts and climbed up onto the banisters with no difficultly.

Frustrated cries of “Lumos!” sounded repeatedly in vain through the blackness and suddenly there were two loud thuds on the stairs as the twins kicked out from the banisters and sent the Death Eaters falling head over heels down the rest of the flight of stairs.

“Crucio!” Bellatrix shouted angrily, cursing in the direction the thuds had come in. George felt the spell hit just behind his ankle but didn’t stop until Fred, half a step ahead of him, had wrenched open the door and they stumbled out into the light.

The twins didn’t even pause to see if each other was alright, that just had to wait a few seconds. With barely a glance at each other, they spun on their heels and, to their immense relief, managed to Apparate away.

xxxXxxx

“They left it to the last possible minute again didn’t they?” Molly sighed, staring impatiently out the window of Great Aunt Muriel’s living room. Her hands hadn’t stopped wringing in her lap, twisting and pulling at the hem of her cardigan as they waited for Fred and George.

“Mum…they’ll be coming. When are Fred and George ever on time for anything?” Ginny sighed, sitting down on the little window seat and squeezing her mother’s hands gently. “It probably just means they haven’t needed to run yet, which is good right?”

Molly smiled a tense smile and stilled her fidgeting hands to give her daughter’s a squeeze. It had just been lucky Ginny had come home for Easter…if she was still at Hogwarts…there was no telling what they would have done to her.  
“Yes, dear…I suppose you’re right…that must be it.”

“I told them not to cut it too fine. Diagon Alley is the first place they’ll have covered.” Bill shook his head at the door from where he stood with his father across the room. He impatiently blew back a long strand of red hair from his eyes and tucked his hands in his pockets.

Fleur had remained at home, tending to the goblin and the frail Ollivander. It frustrated Bill to no end having to keep Harry, Ron and Hermione a secret from the rest of the family, but they couldn’t know they were at Shell Cottage or they’d insist on seeing them. Ron had made it very clear that secrecy was vital.

“If the twins don’t get here soon, I’ll go and get them myself.” Arthur had just made up his mind when Ginny out called from the window,

“See? I told you they’d be here.”

Sure enough, Fred and George were striding up the little path, both looking dishevelled like they had left in a hurry and clapping each other on the back.

Arthur flicked his wand at the door and it unlocked itself and swung inwards to admit them. George stepped in first, ducking his head slightly to avoid knocking it on the low doorframe and Fred followed suit.

“Well…” George clapped his hands and ran a hand over his messy hair to flatten it a little. “Fancy seein’ you all here…”

“You should have been here much earlier, boys, you had us starting to worry.” Molly tutted and stood up from her seat as the door swung closed and the locks all fastened again.

“Well we went to leave...”

“But we couldn’t Disapparate, they jinxed the place…”

“…and got there just before we could leave.” Fred finished, sinking down onto the almost too soft sofa that was covered in a hideous paisley fabric.

Molly gasped and Bill and Arthur furrowed their eyebrows and pressed their lips into lines, looking much the same as each other as they did so.

“Oh we’re fine. See, we’re not hurt…” George assured them quickly and flashed a grin “They should have known better than to come after us in our own territory.”

“Fred, you’re really pale.” Ginny piped up, pulling her long hair over one shoulder and placing her hands on her hips. “Are you sure nothing happened?”

“Oh that was just a Dementor.” Fred scoffed and waved it off like it happened every day. “I’m fine. A little deflated, but I’m fine.”

“Oh, you two have so much Prewett in you…I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. You have your uncles’ bravado.” Molly pursed her lips and turned her son’s face to the side, giving him a thorough inspection to be sure there was nothing they were being tough and hiding from her.

“Better bravado than cowardice.” Bill said before George could say the same thing and smirked a little at his brothers. He had completely expected them to come at the last minute, despite his warning.

“Well…” Arthur interrupted, clearing his throat and running a hand over his balding head. “It was only a matter of time, Weasleys. We all knew it was coming.” He looked around at his family and sighed. “Important thing is we’re all here, and we’re all safe.”

“Most of us.” Ginny corrected and exchanged a glance with George.

“Well, Charlie’s pretty away from the worst of it in Romania for now. And you know what I meant by everyone, Ginny.”

“Bill, are you sure you and Fleur are alright by yourselves?”

“I’m Secret Keeper, Mum, for both safe houses.” Bill reminded her and pulled his mother into a reassuring hug, grinning over her head at his siblings. “We’re perfectly safe….and now that I know everyone else is safe, I’d better get back.”

Bill left with a pop, leaving the other five in the living room of Great-Aunt Muriel’s who not a second later, stuck her head into the room.

“What in Merlin’s name is all that racket, Molly?” Her sharp, but old, eyes alighted on Fred and George and she clucked her tongue and snapped sharply. “Oh and they’ve got here now. I’ll gladly open my home to family in need…” She pointed a gnarled finger at the twins and scowled. “...but I’ll not have these two blowing things up and shouting all day!”

Fred and George both stuck out their tongues and pulled faces at her back as she disappeared into the kitchen a moment later, earning them a sharp reprimand and a light whack over their heads from their mother. Ginny giggled and Arthur stifled a smile as the witch scolded the twins.  
“She’s taking us in, you two…” She hissed, “I don’t want any of you upsetting her. I know it can be…trying… but, for once, would you please be on your best behaviour?”

George looked down at Fred and then at his mother with the most innocent expression he could conjure. “We’ll _try_.”

Suddenly, Muriel reappeared, her bones seeming to creak in the otherwise silent room as she bustled over to them and held out a tartan tin of chocolate cauldrons to Fred.  
“You look like you’ve been at the end of a Dementor, boy. Eat.”

It was less of an offer or a suggestion, than it was an order. Fred looked up and blinked in surprise. He was quite taken aback by this sudden show of concern, if you could call it that, and just looked at her for a few seconds before shrugging and reaching into the tin. He took one, and then a second when Auntie Muriel pierced him with her bird like stare. Perhaps being attacked by a Dementor had its perks after all.

Thinking she was offering them to everyone, George reached to take one.

“Ouch!” There was a harsh sounding slap and he yelped and pulled his hand back quickly, muttering under his breath.

“Manners!” Muriel snapped, glaring at George and offering the tin to Ginny, Molly and Arthur, of whom the latter two politely refused. She spitefully bypassed George and strode back into the kitchen.

“Old ba-”

“George…” Molly warned, raising a finger at him and he quietened, crossing his arms over his chest and sinking onto the arm of the sofa.

The chocolate helped Fred immediately. The encounter with the Dementor had left him deflated, pale and a little sullen. As his spirits perked back up, colour came back to his cheeks and he made a point of waving the second in George’s face who just stuck out his tongue at his brother.

“Maybe staying here isn’t so bad, don’tcha think, Georgie?” He taunted, popping the second chocolate cauldron into his mouth with a slightly smug look.


	5. The Mask

** The Mask **

_Well I believe it all is coming to an end,_  
Oh well, I guess we’re gonna pretend,  
Let’s see how far we’ve come,  
Let’s see how far we’ve come,

_I think it turned ten o’clock  but I don’t really know,_  
And I can’t remember caring for an hour or so,  
Started crying and I couldn’t stop myself,  
I started running but there’s nowhere to run to.

**How Far We’ve Come- Matchbox 20**

 

 “…What did it feel like?”

Fred looked up as he reached around in his rucksack for pyjamas. Everyone had been on edge all evening, trying not to let doubts arise about the protective enchantments  and their safety here. Fred and George had taken it upon themselves to try and distract their parents by maintaining a thoroughly useless and random conversation on everything from Quidditch to bringing Snape to justice by pouring a vat of shampoo on his head.

George was sitting cross legged on his bed in Muriel’s back room in his matching plaid red pyjama pants and simple white undershirt turning his wand over in his fingers and looking at his twin curiously as he waited for him to answer the question.

Fred shrugged and tossed his rucksack onto the floor, nudging it under the bed with his foot as he started to change.

“The Dementor? Weird…the awful kind of weird.” He sat down on the end of his bed and shuddered involuntarily at the memory. “It was like…everything good was being literally sucked out. It fills your head with horrible things, like what would happen if we couldn’t get away from the shop, or what if Vo-” Fred cut himself off and bit his tongue before he could let it slip. The name was taboo now. “-if You-Know-Who won.”

George frowned a little and leaned over to set his wand down beside his pillow before straightening up and swinging his legs onto the floor. He leaned forward with elbows on his knees and rubbed his hands together.

Fred continued. “But it wasn’t just what ifs. Brought back all the darkest memories it could find.”

“Like what? What did you remember?”

Fred looked up at his twin with an odd, twisted expression like he didn’t really want to go into detail. But they both knew he was going to anyway.

“Uh…” He reached up and rubbed the back of his ginger head. “Mad-Eye, Dumbledore’s  funeral…Percy running out on us…when Dad got attacked by that ruddy snake.” He shrugged his shoulders and looked away. “That’s all I remember.”

“No it’s not.” George said quickly, his lip twitching knowingly. “I know you a hundred times better than to believe that.”

“Well then, clearly you know I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.” Fred shot his twin a look and lay back on his bed, his long legs just hanging off the end.

George smirked slightly and arched his eyebrow at his brother before shrugging. “Okay.”

Fred frowned at the ceiling and turned his head, confused. “You’re not even gonna argue?”

“Nope. If you don’t wanna tell me, then don’t tell me. I’m not pushin’.”

Fred wasn’t buying that. He was more than a little suspicious of what George was up to. Was this reverse psychology? He was pretty sure that’s what George was doing. Or he simply knew Fred better than Fred knew himself and that he would probably tell him everything very soon anyway of his own accord. It was probably that, Fred decided.   
Even so, he narrowed his eyes suspiciously at George and then without warning, reached under his head, grabbed his pillow and threw it across the small room at George.

His brother hadn’t been expecting that and it hit him squarely in the face, much to Fred’s satisfaction. The force was enough to make George sway back from the edge of the bed and he looked shocked at Fred for a whole two seconds before a grin broke out over his face and he took up the challenge.

Fred rolled off the other side of the bed in a hurry to avoid George’s pillow, which struck the corner of an old trunk behind Fred’s bed with such force that it burst with a dull thump in an explosion of feathers. Both men looked in shock as the feathers started float and dance around the room and then exchanged startled looks with one another before both sets of bright blue eyes landed on the one remaining pillow on the floor. The last weapon at their disposal.

Fred looked at George who was poised to pounce on the pillow, and George looked at Fred who was preparing to spring forward.

They leapt at once, Fred performing a rather impressive leap right over his bed and landing on his elbows with a triumphant whoop as he got his hands on the pillow. Unfortunately for him, George was just as quick to get a grasp on it and what had started as a joking pillow fight, had become a war as the twins wrestled for control.

“Give up yet?” George ground out through his teeth as he managed to shoulder off one of Fred’s arms. The latter just laughed and was about to throw back a witty retort when there was thudding down the hall and the door was wrenched open.

In the doorway stood a red faced Muriel, and behind her, a wide-eyed Arthur, both in pyjamas and dressing gowns.

“What in the world are you doing, boys?!”

Fred and George froze, Fred had his free arm raised like he had been about to lock it around George’s head to throw him off and George had thrown his full weight on top of the pillow and Fred’s other hand, trapping it from his brother’s reach.

They flashed innocent, toothy smiles and let each other go.

“He started it.” They accused in unison, pointing at the other and then exchanging looks.

“Did not!”

“I don’t care who started it!” Muriel screeched, her old eyes flashed daggers at the twins and she raised a warning finger. “You trouble makers will be sleeping outside if you keep knocking around my house like you own it.”

“Auntie Muriel, don’t you think that’s a little…harsh?” Arthur softened, flicking his eyes at his sons, his lip twitching as he very obviously tried to hide a smile. “Boys will be boys.”

“They shouldn’t still be _boys_ , Arthur.” Muriel snapped, turning her piercing stare on him “They should well and truly be men by now and not behaving like Hippogriffs.” She raised a gnarled old finger and jabbed Arthur in the chest. “A tighter leash is needed, Arthur! Like I always told you.”

“We’re not dogs.” Fred said indignantly.

“You might as well be.” With that, she started grumbling obscenities highly unheard of in a woman of her age, and retreated down the hall, leaving Arthur shaking his head in the doorway.

“Fred. George…” He took a moment to regain his composure and cleared his throat, trying his hardest to be firmer than he wanted to be. “That’s enough. It’s late and everyone else is trying to get some sleep. Would it really kill you to do the same?”

“Probably not…but why take the risk?” George grinned and then dutifully looked away when he couldn’t find the amusement he’d been searching for in their father’s eyes.

“You heard your mother today…do at least _try_ to behave.”

With a look at both his sons, he turned and closed the door behind him.

Waiting until they heard the creak and click of another door closing down the hall, the twins exchanged a look and tried to hide their snickering.

“It’s gonna be fun driving the old bat up the wall.” Fred ran a hand through his hair and looked around at the remnants of what had once been a whole pillow. “All the fun we’ll get here anyway.”  
He retrieved his wand from the pocket of his rucksack and waved it over the mess of feathers and fabric. The feathers regathered themselves, and within moments, the pillow had stitched itself back together.

George sighed and tossed his pillow back on his bed, dropping back onto it with the rusty creaking of old springs.

Another flick, and Fred extinguished the light. There was more squeaking and the rustle of blankets before Fred was under the covers with his hands tucked under his head staring up at the moonlight that flowed through the window and bathed the middle of the room in blue light.

xxxXxxx

George couldn’t remember being tired enough to fall asleep, so it was a surprise to him when he stirred and nearly hit his head on the wall. The rustling of blankets from his brother’s bed across the room was loud in the otherwise quiet room, and at first he just rolled over himself and closed his eyes again.

But suddenly he realised that it hadn’t just been the rustling of blankets that had woken him, no, he had had twenty years of sleeping in the same room as his twin to get used to that. There was another noise that he was not accustomed to hearing come from Fred. It was a whimper, small and frightened, that made George turn over and look over his shoulder in confusion.

“Fred?” He hissed, but Fred didn’t respond.  He was definitely still asleep.

Fred seemed to jerk in his bed and was stirring restlessly. Every few seconds, he would whimper again and George was suddenly wide awake. He sat up, tossed the blankets off himself and swung his feet to the floor.

“Fred?” He tried again, louder, and when he didn’t get any response again, George crossed the room and shook his twin’s shoulder.

“Hey, wake up…Fred?”

Fred jerked again and inhaled sharply as his eyes snapped open and he awoke. He looked dazed and confused as he looked up at George who was staring down at him wide eyed and concerned.

“W-what are you-”

“Are you okay?” George asked, moving his hand from his brother’s shoulder and sitting on the edge of the bed as Fred pushed himself up onto his elbows. “Were you having a nightmare? You sounded scared, I thought I better wake you up.”

Grunting, and rubbing his face, Fred looked away from George and shook his head. “I wasn’t scared.” He denied, thoroughly unconvincingly and George only responded with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, yeah, you can tell me that rubbish but it’s not true.”

“Shut up.” Fred grumbled and sat up against the wall. “I think it’s just an after effect.”

His brother nodded and moved back to sit on his own bed, he reached over and checked the watch he had been given on their seventeenth birthday. It was almost three in the morning but Fred didn’t look like he was going be getting back to sleep right away. His eyes were wide and looked slightly red, he had definitely had a nightmare. Something that was very rare for either of the twins.

It was one of the very few times Fred ever looked really vulnerable. The time when the mask he had put on earlier came right off.

“Dement--” George tried and failed to stifle a yawn “-ors, would probably do that to ya. You wanna tell me or should I just go back to sleep?”

Fred fiddled with the blankets over his legs and wiped a hand over his eyes. “It was just the stuff it reminded me of.”

“…I’m pretty sure you weren’t so broken up over Percy running out that you started sniffling.”

“Not _that_ stuff, Lugless.” Fred shot George a half-hearted glare and looked up at the ceiling. “The other stuff.”

George’s first hint was the way Fred had glanced at him when he woke up, it was the same way he’d looked when George came too after losing his ear. His second hint, had been Fred calling him ‘Lugless’ again. He knew exactly what the Dementor had made Fred think about.

“Oh _that_ stuff.” He repeated, nodding his understanding and letting out a small chuckle. Reaching up, George ran a hand over the left side of his head. “Yeah, I figured that’s what you weren’t saying before.”

“It’s not just your ear, George. It could have easily been your life. You looked _dead_ , and that’s what it made me remember. The worst that I had ever felt was thinking for a few horrible minutes, that I’d lost my twin brother.”

They had talked about this before, but not quite the same. Fred had never said the rest of it aloud before, he had never admitted, although George had suspected because he knew how he would feel himself, that it was the worst he’d ever felt.

“That’s why I was scared, okay? That’s what…” Fred shrugged his shoulders and hugged his arms insecurely. “… _that_ was.” He finished, meaning the horrible dream that George had roused him from. “I think that’s why it affected me so badly. Merlin, I hate to think of what they did to Harry and Sirius. They’d have had it much worse than us.”

The side of George’s head was beginning to tingle again, and he brushed his fingers lightly around the peculiar hole in his head behind his hair. It had been eight months since it happened and he was finally starting to get used to seeming “lopsided”, as Auntie Muriel said, when he looked in the mirror. But that didn’t make it any less bizarre to touch.

 “Do you remember the only time we’ve seen Mum completely lose it?” Fred asked suddenly and it took George by surprise. “I mean, _really_ upset, not just disappointed or mad at us.”

“Do you mean anytime anyone brings up Percy?”

Fred shook his head. “Not what I was thinking. I can’t believe I remember it, it was so long ago.” He lifted his head and brought his legs up to his chest so he could wrap his arms around them and rest his chin on his knees. “I think the Dementor brought it back, but I mean when Mum and Dad heard about her brothers’ murders."

George blinked a few times and frowned as he strained to remember it. Now that he thought of it, it was hard to forget how horrible it had been as young children to see their mother so distraught. Vague, though his memory of the event was, it seemed Fred remembered it well now.

“We would have been…” George paused to think. “…Three? I can’t believe you remember that.”

“Neither can I.” Fred shrugged. “She wouldn’t let any of us kids out of her sight for days.”

xxxXxxx

_“Go away!” Five year old Percy was shouting at the twins, who were following him around the house, popping out from random places. Dressed identically, as they always were, they would dissolve into giggles every time they made their big brother jump. Which meant a very large part of the morning was spent in fits of laughter._

_It was a dreary, wet, Sunday, and after trudging mud all over their mother’s clean floors, Charlie was sulking in an armchair. Ten year old Bill was lying on his back on the floor watching one year old Ron totter around on unsteady legs and throwing out a hand to catch him before he could wobble right into the edge of the table he was at head height with. The twins had just appeared over Percy’s shoulder, literally hanging themselves over the edge of the couch to find where Percy had been curled up trying to hide from them._

_“What’re you doing?” Fred piped up as George somersaulted over the back of the couch and landed with a plop beside their brother._

_“Yeah, we wanna play too!” George added, pulling at Percy who whined and was starting to pout._

_“Go away or I’ll tell Mummy!” He shrieked, squirming away from his little brothers and starting to run toward the kitchen._

_He hurtled face first into their mother’s apron as she appeared with her scolding face on. Having six boys all cooped up inside on a day like today, was not her idea of a relaxing Sunday. Percy, always the little mummy’s boy, was nearly in sulky tears again. She sighed. He was really starting to get too old for this._

_“Fred and George won’t go away.” He whined, pointing to the twins who were scrambling off the couch and setting their sights on Bill._

_There were two loud, gleeful shrieks and then a disgruntled “oof” as they leapt on their oldest brother._

_Sensing his mother’s arrival, little Ron appeared from under the table and ran full speed toward her, swaying from side to side. He was more than a little clingy, as all her sons had been at that age, and wouldn’t pay any attention to anyone else when Mummy was in the room._

_“They’re being meeeannn.” Percy whined and between his tugging at her hand and Ronald suddenly latching himself onto her leg, Molly was already getting another headache._

_“Alright!” She sighed and bent to pick up the baby who cooed happily and starting patting at her face._

_“Percy, that’s enough, I can see what they’re doing. You’re getting too old now to come and tell on them, they’re only little.” Percy pouted and pulled a face much like Charlie’s was before he ran off to play by himself in the corner of the sitting room._

_“Mum, can’t I go out?” Bill called from the floor, shoving the twins off him who rolled onto the floor in fits of giggles, until George bumped his head and they both started crying._

_“It’s terribly wet, Bill, I’ll not have any of you getting sick today! Oh… where is your father when we need him…”_

_“Be quiet!” Charlie snapped from his chair at the twins who were sobbing tearfully…he only succeeded in making them cry louder._

_Molly closed her eyes and took a deep calming breath. How she was managing to juggle all these boys at once was beyond her. But what were mothers for? She was disciplinarian, comforter, provider, role model and rule imposer all at once for her children and she loved them all dearly. But they were such a handful today._

_Moving Ron to her hip she hurried over to the twins who turned large, tearful blue eyes up at her and ran to climb into her lap as she sunk down to the floor._

_“You’re alright Fre-Geo-Fred…” She shushed, kissing the twin who had bumped his head tenderly when he responded through sniffles._

_“George…”_

_Once they had quietened and let her go, she got to her feet and looked pointedly at her two oldest sons. “Your uncles told me they would be here to see you today so you can count on them to give you something to do.”_

_Charlie seemed to forget his sulk completely and Bill sat up on the floor, both their eyes lit up._ _A visit from Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon livened up any dull day. Everyone loved the Prewett brothers, they were favourites with all the Weasley sons. The twins loved them because, like themselves, their uncles looked the same as each other and they found it hilarious. Bill and Charlie thought they were grand fun, sometimes when Mum wasn’t around, Uncle Fabian would let Bill have a go on his broom under careful supervision. Percy loved the attention that Uncle Gideon gave him, that he felt like he missed out on being right in the middle sometimes._

_“Arthur!” Molly called up the stairs as she pushed herself up to her feet and a loud crash of thunder sent Percy tearing back across the room and hiding against her legs. “Arthur, your boys could really use something to do down here.”_

_“Coming, coming…” There was a clatter of footsteps on the stairs and Arthur Weasley appeared. As he crossed the room he ruffled Charlie’s hair and held out his hands to take the baby to give his wife a break._

_She handed him over willingly and Ron fussed for a moment before he figured out it was his daddy holding him and that was almost as good as Mummy. Just as Molly turned to go back into the kitchen, there was a loud knocking at the door. Bill sprung up, eager to greet his uncles at the door, and for something to do, and ran to open it before his mother could tell him otherwise._

_“Unc-” The ten year old cut himself off short and stared up as he opened the front door. “Oh…hi?”_

_It wasn’t Uncle Gideon and Uncle Fabian after all. There were two men standing in the doorway, both completely dry despite the rain. The first man was tall and wearing spectacles and long robes of deep crimson. A long white beard adorned his face and he had a warm, kindly expression as he looked down at Bill.  
The second man looked far stranger than anyone Bill had ever met. He wore a long brown traveling cloak over his robes and was shorter and far broader than the first man. He had thick brown hair that was going grey in places, and had a grim expression. But the strangest thing by far was the electric blue eye that whizzed around crazily in its socket. Bill couldn’t look away for several whole seconds. The first wizard, Bill recognised immediately as being Albus Dumbledore, everyone knew who he was after all. Why were they here?_

_“Ah, you must be young William…” Dumbledore smiled warmly and held out a hand to the boy who stared at it and then drew himself up as tall as he could. It wasn’t every day that Albus Dumbledore came to your house after all._

_“Bill, who is-oh!” Molly gasped as she bustled over, wondering what was taking her son so long. “Oh, Professor…what a surprise this is, you must excuse me, we weren’t expecting-”_

_The second wizard cleared his throat and pressed his thin lips into a line. “Not to worry, Mrs Weasley, we’d like to have a word with you and your husband.” His voice sounded more like a growl and Bill kept a wary eye on him. He wasn’t sure he much liked this man._

_“What is it?” Molly asked quickly, her hand resting lightly on her son’s shoulder. “I mean, it’s not very often we get visits from Aurors and the Headmaster…”_

_Arthur suddenly appeared over her shoulder and held out a hand in welcoming to the two wizards. Something was wrong, he could see it in their eyes._

_“Won’t you come in? We can all talk in the kitchen…”_

_Molly ushered Bill away who went reluctantly back into the sitting room._

_The kitchen door swung closed and immediately, Bill and Charlie exchanged looks and crept over to the door. Young Fred and George looked at each other and followed their big brothers immediately, curiosity overcoming them. Not to be left out, Percy followed suit and soon the five brothers were all climbing over each other trying to peek through the crack in the door or press their ears to the wood._

_“Sh!” Charlie held a finger to his lips and clapped a hand over Fred’s mouth who was giggling to himself. “Go away or be quiet!” He hissed._

_“I’m afraid we have some very bad news for your family, Mrs. Weasley…” Came the hushed, soft tones of Dumbledore from the kitchen._

_“I can’t hear…” Percy whined, trying to squeeze under Charlie’s arm._

_“Shh!” Bill hushed him and pressed his ear to the small opening. “Let me hear and I might tell you.”_

_Their mother’s voice was a good deal louder than Dumbledore, and all the brothers heard it clearly from the other side of the door. “…what is it? Something’s happened?”_

_“Why does Mum sound funny?”_

_“Shut up.” Bill hissed again, and Percy forgot his troubles trying to hear and stared wide eyed at his brother._

_“You’re not supposed to say that, I’ll tell Mummy!”_

_Three year old Fred and George were far from shushed. They exchanged wide grins and mimicked Bill in unison. “Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.”_

_Bill was sufficiently distracted. He would be in big trouble for teaching that to them. Fred and George were like living with two parrots who jumped on you.  
“No, no, no…don’t you say that! Dad won’t like you saying that, you’ll be in big trouble.”_

_“I think you should get rid of our little audience outside.” Came the loud growl of the wizard with the strange eye, clearly through the door._

_Suddenly the door opened and Charlie, Bill, Fred, George and Percy all fell forward in one big pile._

_“Boys!” Arthur tutted, bending over to help pull them all up. “You should not be listening. Bill, Charlie, upstairs please, at once. You three…” He tutted at his younger sons and pointed firmly back into the sitting room. “Go on.”_

_With pouting faces, the twins and Percy trudged back to where they had been and Bill and Charlie clattered sulkily upstairs where they couldn’t hear what was going on._

_xxxXxxx_

_It was only a few minutes before a loud, heartwrenching cry sounded all throughout the Burrow, the likes of which none of the children had ever heard come from either of their parents._

_Bill clattered back down the stairs as quickly as he had gone up with Charlie just behind, and Fred and George looked terrified as they ran back to the door and nearly hurtled right into Charlie._

_Without needing to go much closer to the door than the foot of the stairs, they could all clearly hear their mother crying and their father’s shocked “No”. The boys exchanged looks and Bill reached out to take hold of the back of the twins’ jumpers to stop them running in. It didn’t seem like any of them were going to any efforts to keep their voices down anymore, as the Auror’s next words were just as audible._

_“They went like heroes, both of ‘em. I’ve seen more bravery in those two young wizards than in countless older ones.”_

_“What does that mean?” Charlie whispered, looking at his older brother who just shrugged and swallowed nervously. “What happened?”_

_“I’m so sorry…” Dumbledore’s voice echoed, which was surely little comfort to their mother who only seemed to sob harder._

_“But…” Arthur’s voice was disbelieving, empty, like he was in shock. “Surely not those two…there has to be a mistake…they’re the last who-”_

_“There is no mistaking the Prewett twins, I assure you.”_

_“How-how did…”_

_“Raids. They took a lot down of their own before Gideon got hit and I can assure you Fabian avenged his brother before they got him too.”_

_“Stop! Oh please, no, just…” Molly’s words were barely decipherable amidst her cries and the boys outside the room could hear the creaking of chairs on the floorboards as their guests stood up to take their leave._

_“The Order is more than willing to offer you any help you may need, I think we had best leave now, Alastor.”_

_“Aye.” Came the growl and a few moments later a door closed and the Weasleys were left alone._

xxxXxxx

He remembered as clearly as though it had happened yesterday, seeing their mother sobbing brokenly on the kitchen floor with their father’s arms wrapped around her. He remembered he, George, and Percy all being pulled into her arms when their parents saw them staring in confusion in the doorway, and how they had no idea what was happening. All they knew at three years old was that their Mummy had never cried like that and it was scary.

Later that night, when their father had sat all his sons down, holding baby Ron in his arms, and told them their uncles wouldn’t be coming to see them again, Fred and George had cried and thought they’d done something so terrible even Uncle Fabian and Uncle Gideon couldn’t forgive them.

Fred remembered George asking what it meant when Arthur said that they were gone forever and he remembered Bill, who was ten years old at the time and old enough to understand what dead meant, running out into the yard with tears in his eyes.

For a long time, it felt like their mother would look at her twin boys and see her brothers, then she would pull them close to her and tell them how much she loved them even when they were naughty. Fred Gideon, and George Fabian Weasley had been named for the Prewetts when they were born and never a day went by when Molly wasn’t glad for naming them so.

The twins exchanged a look as George’s memory was stirred by the conversation. They hoped never to have to see their mother, or their father so distraught again. It really was a terrible memory and George didn’t envy his brother being forced to relive it.

Fred was still sitting upright, his chin on his knees and looking sombre. George stifled a yawn and looked over at his twin in concern. “We’ll win, ya know? Good will out, and all that.”

“I know that.” Fred said dryly and looked at George out of the corner of his eye. “I’m not worried about losing the _war_.”

“You’re just messed up after today, you’ll be fine tomorrow.”

“Yeah, probably.” Fred shrugged and sunk a little lower down toward the mattress. “…Did your head hurt?”

“…Huh?” George was taken aback by the question and the yawn he had been trying to hold back escaped. “O-Oh…yeah, I guess it flared up for a bit. Apparently I’m still sensitive to dark magic in the air.”

“It looked painful.”

“It’s not too bad, but you would have regretted it by now if you’d actually lopped yours off to match.” George teased, touching the side of his head and tracing his fingers around the hole there. He was determined to distract Fred at least a little from the slump he seemed to be in, so maybe he could get back to sleep.

It worked and Fred looked indignantly at him all of a sudden. “You’re saying I couldn’t handle it? You’re crazy.”

“Your words, not mine.” George smirked and swung his legs back onto his bed. “And I’m not crazy, I’m just a little bit deaf. See, you sound more like yourself already…now can I go back to sleep?”


	6. The Inevitable

** The Inevitable **

_Climb the mountain, swim for shore,  
Bring it back to how it was before,_

_Take it out, blow it up,_  
Ignite the memory in between us,  
Through the storm and all the dust,  
Take it out of these walls with a cannonball.  
**Where We Came From- Phillip Phillips**

“Mum! George needs a tonic and he’s being stubborn and not admitting it.” Ginny called through the house with her brother on her heels and glaring at the back of her hair.

“I do not. I’m fine, it’s just a thing that happens when I don’t get enough bloomin’ headspace.”

“Have either of you _ever_ had enough headspace to declutter all that? It would explain a lot.” Ginny threw a look over her shoulder, swinging her arms at her sides as she stuck her head into the kitchen where Auntie Muriel was lecturing Molly about the best way to prepare potatoes.

Seeming grateful for the distraction, Molly turned and wiped her hands on her apron as her children came in. “Yes, dear, what is it?”

Brother and sister spoke at the same time, each voice as loud as the other as they tried to be heard over each other.

“Absolutely nothing-”

“George was complaining again!”

“I wasn’t, I’m just here to shut her u-ouch!” George moved his foot away quickly and glared at Ginny after she stomped hard on it to stop him talking.

“Shh!” Muriel snapped, “Acting like five year olds, you are! Now, Ginevra, what did you have to say?”

“I said, George was complaining again about being light headed and then he nearly fell over when he got up. He needs a tonic.”

“I don’t! It went away.” George hastily added as his mother suddenly looked worried and quickly started to leave the room. Where was Fred when he needed him to back him up?

“You just stay right there, George Weasley.” Molly fussed and George groaned and stopped in his tracks.  “You should have told me right away that it was bothering you again.”

“It’s _not_ bothering me.” George insisted and touched his head subconsciously, “I’m just sick of being stuck here.”

It had been nearly two weeks since they arrived and George was starting to get cabin fever. They couldn’t go further than the garden gate for fear of detection and then everyone would be in jeopardy. Molly didn’t even like any of them being out in the yard for longer than a few minutes at a time. It was stifling for Ginny and the twins, who felt not unlike Hippogriffs that couldn’t fly, and frustrating to say the least for Molly and Arthur but it had to be done.

“Well, it bothers me and I’m your mother.” Molly silenced him, and set about whisking up a tonic for her son whose foot was beginning to tap restlessly. The twins couldn’t stay still for longer than a few minutes at a time so house arrest was getting to them.

He huffed and glared at his sister who glared right back at him and threw her long hair over her shoulders.   
“Traitor.” He grumbled at her and looked over at their mother who had her back turned.

George seized the opportunity and slipped from the room. Behind him, he could practically hear Ginny rolling her eyes as he left the room.

xxxXxxx

Bill had come to visit again, just in time to hear Muriel screeching at the top of her shrivelled lungs at the twins who looked incredibly pleased with themselves and were nearly shaking with barely suppressed laughter.

“—YOU THINK YOU CAN COME INTO MY HOME AND SELL THOSE IDIOTIC INVENTIONS OF YOURS? HOW STUPID ARE YOU BOTH? I THOUGHT YOU WERE IN HIDING!”

The twins had been caught in the act of sending out a package of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes products by owl from the backroom. And they were completely unabashed at being found out.  
They said nothing and just struggled to contain their laughter.

“WHAT?!” Mrs. Weasley roared, joining in the shouting. This was the first she had heard of it. “You’ve been doing WHAT?!”

“—COMPLETELY DISRESPECTFUL-”

“So is calling someone lopsided!” Fred interrupted his Great-Aunt, calling her out on her own rude comments and receiving a deathly glare in response.

“OF ALL THE IRRESPONSIBLE THINGS! OWL POST IS HARDLY THE MOST INDETECTABLE OF THINGS!”

“Oh, relax, Mum! We’re not thick, we’ve taken plenty of precautions.” George said calmly, rubbing his remaining ear. “I think I’m gonna be deaf on both sides in a minute.”

“Woah!” Bill’s voice from the doorway interrupted both furious witches, and gave the twins some reprieve as they all turned to look. “Sounds like a war zone of its own in here…”

“Bill! It’s good to see you.” Molly’s anger seemed to melt away from her voice at the sight of her oldest son, but her eyes were still bright with emotion, and her lips were still pressed into a firm line.

“Uh…yeah…I wanted to check up here. Everythin’ okay?”

“Just peachy!” Fred and George answered from the back of the room and before either their mother or their aunt could snap at them, they seized their chance and slipped from the room.

“We’re…” Molly tutted and glared at the doorway where the twins had vanished before looking back at Bill, “…as far as I know we’re all fine. Nothing’s happened. But how are you and Fleur, dear?”

“Just fine. No one could get within two hundred feet of Shell Cottage.” Bill assured her, flashing his toothy grin and running a hand through his hair. “Fleur sends her love, by the way. It’s starting to sound just like old times here.” He laughed, and threw an arm over Ginny’s shoulders as she waltzed into the room to join in the conversation.

“Oh yeah, they’re driving everyone up the wall.” Ginny laughed, elbowing her much taller brother in the ribs and squirming out from under his arm. “Mum, you know they’ll never change.”

“I know that, dear…” Molly sighed, crossing her arms. “I just wish they’d be a little more serious sometimes.”

“Then they wouldn’t be Fred and George.” Ginny argued. At only sixteen, she couldn’t even use magic without being detected by the Ministry, and so thoroughly enjoyed watching Fred and George rile Muriel up as her main entertainment.

“I can’t stay very long.” Bill chirped up, moving forward to give his mother a hug and look around over her shoulder. “But I wanted to talk to Dad, too.”

“I think he’s just out the back.”

xxxXxxx

“It’s a muggle game, it’s called poker. It’s no Exploding Snap but fun to play for something different.” Fred grinned at Ginny who sat opposite from him on the carpeted floor. “I like to think we’ve gotten pretty good, right, George?”

George, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor to Fred’s right, didn’t respond. He had produced a deck of muggle cards from his sleeve and seemed to be intent on shuffling them intricately.

“George?”

George still didn’t look up from where he was staring at the cards. Flicking his wrist, he split and merged the cards together into a stack again and again, blissfully unaware of his twin who was trying to get his attention.

Fred sighed and snapped his fingers right next to George’s head. Sometimes that was all it took, and sometimes it took a little more. He leaned closer to his brother and shouted unnecessarily loudly.

“GEORGE!”

George dropped all the cards and clapped a hand to the side of his head, staring wide eyed at Fred.  
“Merlin’s beard! You didn’t need to roar at me!” He snapped indignantly.

Fred sat back, seemingly satisfied and Ginny just laughed at them.   
“Well you seem to be deafer when you’re not paying attention. I’m sure it’s selective sometimes.” He turned to his little sister and jerked a thumb at George who was grumbling and picking up the scattered cards. “He can hear me call him names across the room but he can’t hear that?”

“You didn’t need to bellow.”

“I should say I did.”

“You coulda just nudged me.”

“But that would have been kinder and boring.”

“How about you just-”

“-there’s no need to get snippy!”

“Hey, are you two gonna show me this game or not?”

As amusing as it could be watching her brothers bicker, it was usually a lot funnier when it was the pair of them against Auntie Muriel. As far as siblings went, Fred and George very rarely argued with each other and Ginny thought she had better stop it before it could start.

Fred shot a strange look at his brother and turned back to Ginny. “Right, well….Mum probably wouldn’t like-”

“Wouldn’t like what?”

Fred cringed as their mother’s voice sounded from behind him and looked up with a sheepish grin.   
“Nothing.”

“Nothing indeed.” Molly pursed her lips and shook her head at her sons. She knew it was trying for them all being cooped up here in hiding, it was trying for her too. Really the only contact they had was when Bill came to see how they were going, and to ensure that he and Fleur were safe where they were at Shell Cottage.

“Cut us some slack, Mum.” Ginny sighed, “It’s not doing any harm. They could be showing me how to make Skiving Snackboxes.”

“Exactly, this is just a harmless muggle game.”

George, who seemed to have forgotten his temper with his twin, sent a card tap dancing over his knuckles and exchanged an exasperated glance with Ginny. It had been far too long since they’d played Quidditch at the Burrow, or since he and Fred had sat up all night brainstorming and experimenting with new spells and gadgets. Whilst they had only achieved three O.W.Ls each, less combined than the rest of their siblings individually, both twins had received an Outstanding in Charms, and glowing praise from Flitwick for ingenuity.

Before anyone could get another word in there was a sudden, loud rapping on the door and time seemed to stop. Molly, Ginny and the twins all froze in their places their eyes fixed on the front door. The knocking started again, loud and insistent then everyone moved at once. Arthur rushed into the room, his wand drawn. Cards scattered all over the floor as Fred, George and Ginny were on their feet. The joker floated last of all down to the floor from George’s sleeve. Molly’s hand trembled just slightly as she pointed her wand at the door.

“Why would they knock?” Ginny muttered, and Arthur and George moved forward toward the door just as Muriel bustled from her bedroom grumbling.

“Who is making that enormous racket on my door? They’ve nearly broken the thing! Well they won’t be getting any nearer than that!” She stormed over beside Arthur and screeched at the door.

“Look here! What do you what by bursting down the door of an old witch?!”

“It’s me!” The breathless voice of Remus Lupin sounded from the other side of the door and George and Arthur exchanged looks and kept their wands trained at the door. “Remus!’

No one inside spoke, they knew far better than to trust that, if it were Lupin, he would prove it without being asked to.

Sure enough a moment later the voice continued. He sounded panicked and breathless, as though he had just run a great distance. “I am Remus John Lupin, formerly a professor at Hogwarts. I am a werewolf, married to Nymphadora Tonks, and the Secret Keeper of this house and Shell Cottage gave me this address should I need to find you!”

That was enough. Arthur flicked his wand and the locks unbolted, the charms on the door lifted and the door clicked open to admit Lupin. As the dishevelled, greying man burst in, the door swung closed again and slowly they all lowered their wands.

It was such a relief to see another member of the Order, that at first no one really took in his appearance. Lupin’s hair was windswept, his travelling cloak was swept mostly over one shoulder in his hurry and his eyes were wide as he gazed around at the family.

“Remus…what is it? Has something happened?” Molly hurried forward, her brown eyes full of concern, “Or do you know where….they are?”

“Nothing’s wrong is it, Remus?” Arthur asked as he shook Lupin warmly by the hand and the werewolf shook his head.

The simple gesture was all he seemed to be able to manage until, “It’s a boy!” exploded from the man and Fred and Ginny both flinched at the outburst.

For a long few seconds, nobody really took it in. The twins had entirely forgotten that Tonks was pregnant at all, they had kept it all so quiet, and rightly so.

“Oh my word!” Molly shrieked and was pulling Lupin into a hug faster than Ginny could cast a Bat Bogey Curse. “How wonderful for you both! I never even realised, oh I feel so foolish, I should have thought it must be soon!”

When she finally released him, Lupin was beaming from ear to ear. Certainly he had been mortified at the idea, when he found out, and behaved shamefully to his wife; but the moment he laid eyes on his newborn son, Remus thought he had never been happier. He still worried for his son, and as much as he reminded himself that lycanthropy was not carried through genes, he couldn’t bear the thought of imposing that fate on a child.

But that didn’t matter now.

Arthur was shaking his hand heartily again, and clapping him on the back. Ginny was grinning widely and the twins sung out a loud “Congratulations!” in unison.

“Just an hour or so ago!” Remus said, “He’s just like Dora, even if he wasn’t a Metamorphmagus.”

“You can tell already that he is?” Ginny asked.

“Oh yes…yes!” The werewolf said, waving a hand. “His hair is already changing, it was black when he was born and then an hour later…” He gestured madly at the Weasleys around him. “…he was as ginger as you all.”

Lupin was like a new man, the lines that stress and grief had worn into his face were for the moment, invisible and his smile was wider than anyone had seen it.

“Blimey…” Fred was shaking his head, grinning. “What did you call him then?”

“Teddy.” Remus answered, clapping the young man on the shoulder. “For Dora’s father. Teddy Remus Lupin, and he’s…” He turned to Molly and Arthur. “I finally know how you must feel, I’ve never been more proud.”

“Children are a blessing.” Arthur agreed, wrapping an arm around his wife who was still glowing with happiness for the new parents.

“I’m so sorry, Remus, I wanted to have a gift for you, for the baby-”

“Not at all, not at all!” The man waved a hand and dismissed it. “We wouldn’t dream of expecting anything like that, Molly. Now…I’m sorry I can’t stay, I should go to Shell Cottage next and then I must get back.” He paused as he turned back to the door and looked back over his shoulder. “It’s very good to see you all too.”

“Give our love to Tonks!” Ginny and Molly called behind him in unison and Lupin waved over his shoulder, his other hand on the wood of the now open door.

“I will!”

“Well now…” Arthur looked around at his family as the door closed behind Remus and beamed. “There you have it, not everything is as bleak as it seems,” He kissed Molly’s cheek tenderly “There’s still some things to be glad for, dear.”

“How exciting for them…imagine Remus, a father now.”

“He’d be a good one, he was a brilliant teacher.” George grinned. “If a little hairy around the full moon.”

xxxXxxx

Soft snoring came from the living room couch. George was lying, good ear up, on his side fast asleep with his long legs hanging over the end. His mother was sitting in the armchair nearest the fireplace, her knitting needles clacking away in the air before her. Under her careful observation, a little blue jumper was slowly coming together to match the knitted hat that lay finished on the arm beside her.

Ginny was sitting at the window, staring out into the night and trying to pretend she wasn’t on the verge of tears. Arthur and Fred were in the kitchen down the hall, leaning over the table and fiddling with the dials of Muriel’s old wireless. Every so often, Fred would tap it with his wand and a voice would crackle out of it for a few seconds before fading again into static.

This was what made up a perfectly familiar night at Muriel’s by now. No one spoke much in the evening, and when they did it was only a few words. The tension in the air was nigh tangible, as though the whole world were about to come to a climax and suddenly explode into turbulence.

It was.

The fire crackled and spat a few embers into the air which dissolved into nothing before they reached the floor. Ginny suddenly leapt up from her spot by the window with a gasp.

George grunted and rolled over, still asleep, and the knitting needles stopped knitting as Molly looked up.  
“What is it, dear?”

The youngest Weasley had reached into the pocket of her trousers and was now staring intently at a small object in her hand. Her long red hair swung down from her shoulder, hiding her face from view.

There was a shout from the kitchen and the sound of hurried footsteps down the hall before Fred burst into the room with his fist clenched tight.   
“You too?” He asked and Ginny whipped around with wide brown eyes and nodded.

“What is going on, you two?” Molly got to her feet, the baby jumper forgotten as she looked between her children.  Ginny held out her hand and Fred opened his palm, both were holding a single golden galleon.

Fred went over to the couch and shook George who woke with a start and stared blearily up at his twin. Fred’s eyes were wide and alert as he handed his twin the galleon.

“He’s back.” Ginny said as George pushed himself up and examined it.

“What are you talking about? Who-and what is that?” Molly’s voice shook, gesturing to the galleon that wasn’t really a galleon in her daughter’s hand.

“A message from Neville…” She swallowed a lump and drew herself up. “Harry’s gone back.” She announced loudly as George was clambering to his feet.

There was a great crash from the kitchen and Arthur burst into the room having heard Ginny clearly from there.

“Great Scott…”

“Wh-ho-how…” Molly stammered, trying to find the words.

“These were what we used in school for Dumbledore’s Army.” George explained, handing the galleon to his father. “It’s a call to arms now.”

No one spoke for a few tense seconds before they all burst into action. Fred, George and Ginny clambered off to their rooms for their wands, and Arthur and Molly exchanged a look. It was time.

Arthur took charge, his wand in his hand as his children reappeared, armed with wands and a fire in their eyes that was hard to extinguish.

“We’ll get the rest of the Order.” He said firmly, “Boys, you get going to Aberforth now, we might not have much time to spare.”

Fred and George nodded and started toward the door with Ginny in tow until Molly Weasley drew herself up to her full, though quite unimposing, height and held up a stern finger with the hand that wasn’t clenching her wand.

“Where do you think you’re going, Missy?”

The twins paused and looked over their shoulders as Ginny whirled around and glared at her mother.   
“With Fred and George. To Hogwarts.”

“Oh no you’re not! Ginevra Weasley, you just stay right here where it’s safe!”

Ginny’s face went scarlet. “I am not! I’m going to fight for Harry with everyone else!”

Arthur joined his wife’s side and glared sternly at his youngest child, and only daughter. “It’s far too dangerous, Ginny. You’re sixteen years old!”

“That’s right! You march back to your room right now!” Molly ordered, pointing down the hall.

Ginny, fuming and screeching obscenities at her parents, stormed off.

Arthur and Molly exchanged a look and sighed before turning to the twins who both stared wide eyed after their sister. The slam of the door was so loud it could well have come off its hinges and fallen to the floor.

“We’ll go now, both of you get down there.” Arthur clapped them both on the shoulder and he and Molly disappeared to call the rest of the Order to arms.

“We should go. Now.” George said, looking at the door and starting towards it. Finding that Fred wasn’t by his side as he reached it, he turned and looked over his shoulder. Fred was still staring down the hall after Ginny.

“You heard Mum and Dad, Fred. She’s too young, what if something happened to her?”

“What if something happened here?” Fred turned around and looked back at George. “She belongs with everyone else, she deserves to fight for this too. And she should get to fight for Harry more than anyone.”

The twins looked at each other for a long moment before George sighed. Ginny was as much a part of this war as any of them were. Fred was right, she should be there. As much as they wanted to be the protective older brothers sometimes…Ginny didn’t always need protecting.

Knowing George was relenting, Fred smiled and jogged the short distance to Ginny’s door.

He pushed it open to find Ginny fuming at the window, her arms crossed.

Catching sight of her brother’s reflection in the window, Ginny spun around to face him. Angry tears were stinging her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

“Come with us.” At Fred’s words, her jaw dropped and she snatched up her wand from the bed.

“Thanks, Fred.”

They ran the distance from the door to the edge of the protective enchantments. The wind was hard and cold as it blew through their red hair. With one look at each other, George grabbed his sister’s wrist and Disapparated with her, Fred was only a moment behind.


	7. The Reunion

** The Reunion **

_Here we are now,_  
Together we’re strong,  
So let’s show the world,  
That we can do anything.  
Hold on to your heart,  
And don’t let your fear stand in your way,  
Cause we’ll be okay.  
**Fight or Flight-Riddle TM**

The bar was dark and still, and every surface coated in dust. It had been many months since The Hog’s Head had last been open, no different to the rest of the little village of Hogsmeade since the Death Eaters had taken control of it. The glow of a single candle flickered at the top of an old staircase behind the bar.

With a pop, George and Ginny materialised in the Hog’s Head, less than a second later there was a second pop and Fred appeared beside Ginny.

Aberforth Dumbledore’s footsteps thundered down the stairs and he emerged from the stairwell grumbling and rubbing his eyes. “Can’t a wizard get any sleep around here anymore?” He growled.  
“How many more o’you should I be expecting?”

“Don’t know, Ab.” Fred grinned, holding out his hand to shake that of the older wizard who instead chose to ignore him as another pop signalled someone’s arrival.

Lee Jordan evidently had not been expecting to materialise on top of the bar and fell from it onto the floor with a great thud. Rubbing the back of his dreadlocked head, he pushed himself to his feet and let out a loud whoop of greeting as he saw his two best friends.

“So they are alive!” He cheered with a grin and heartily clapped George on the back. “You two dropped off the map completely, I was almost getting worried!”

“Good to see you too, Lee!” George grinned, “Had to make scarce, they were after all of us.”

“You’re all paler than usual.”

“We’ve barely seen sunlight for ages.” Ginny said.

After Lee came Cho Chang who appeared in the room with her wand and fake galleon clutched tightly in her hand. She looked around wide eyed at Lee and the three Weasleys. Dumbledore’s Army was regathering.

Knowing that his bar was about to become something not unlike a train station with the amount of witches and wizards sure to shortly pass through, Aberforth looked at each of the young adults standing before him. They were all just as determined as Potter and his friends had seemed that they were doing the right thing. They were all ready to fight for this.

“I just sent two more’a ya through not two minutes ago.” He growled and jerked his thumb up the stairs. “Upstairs, get going.”

Ginny’s heart raced as she stared at the large portrait of Arianna Dumbledore. They were so close, it was all coming to a head now. A war that had started before she was born was about to be won by one side or another. Harry was back in Hogwarts, he was just on the end of that tunnel. Oh she had plenty to say to him, but that could wait until after they had won this.

“Through there. I suppose I should be expecting a whole army?”

“Hopefully.” George said, nodding and looking up as the portrait swung away from the wall, revealing the tunnel over the fireplace.

“Lumos…”

Ginny went first after climbing up on a table and, with a boost from George, led the way through the secret passage followed by her brothers, Lee and Cho at the rear.

No one spoke for a while as they navigated the long, twisting passage lit every so often with a lamp. The silence between the five of them was nearly deafening in itself and George tripped twice over his own feet, making Lee walk right into him.

“What happened to you?”

Cho’s soft, Irish tinged voice finally broke the silence and everyone turned to glance at her before trudging on. She was looking at George, whose hair did little to hide the obvious lack of a left ear.

“Little run in with Death Eaters last year…blimey, it was nearly a whole year ago…” George answered, glancing at Fred briefly as he realised it had already been nearly a full ten months.   
“I’m Fred, by the way…so you can tell us apart.” He smiled over his shoulder at the witch who returned the gesture half-heartedly.

Ginny snickered in front and Lee, behind, snorted and chuckled. Fred just smiled.

“What…” Cho asked, frowning a little.

Ginny called back to her, “George is actually the lopsided one, not Fred. Don’t be mean, you two.”

“Yes, Mum.” George stuck out his tongue with a quiet chuckle at the back of his sister’s head.   
Guilt was gnawing at him, their parents were going to be furious when they found out he and Fred had brought Ginny along anyway. If anything happened to their little sister, it would be their fault.

They went up another small flight of stairs and came to a door. It creaked a little as Ginny pushed it open and after the darkness of the tunnel, they all struggled to see for a moment as the light from the Room of Requirement flooded in.

There was a small cheer as they filed out and Fred and George both raised hands in response to several cries of greeting. It had been almost a full three years since they had last been in Hogwarts.

They all grinned as they saw Harry, Ron and Hermione standing in front of the crowd of students.

“Aberforth’s getting a bit ratty. He wants a kip, and his bar’s turned into a railway station.” Fred called, catching sight of Luna and Dean Thomas who looked as though they had only arrived a few minutes before them.

George took a moment to look around at all the students gathered. Every one of them looked terrible, but some much worse than others. Michael Corner, of Ravenclaw, who Cho had just taken a seat beside, was sallow skinned and bruised. Seamus Finnegan was among the worst off, he was bruised and cut and looked as though he had come out the worst in a fisticuffs with Hagrid. Neville’s hair had grown out and he was barely recognisable he was so badly beaten.

Last of all, his blue eyes rested on Harry, Ron and Hermione at the front. He was relieved, to say the least, that his younger brother seemed relatively unharmed considering what they must have been up too.

However, though they were pleased to see him, Harry did not look pleased at all to see them.

“What’s the plan, Harry?” George called, with a grin as he jumped down beside Lee to join the crowd.

“There isn’t one.”

Fred glanced at his twin and Lee, and smiled. “Just going to make it up as we go along then, are we? My favourite kind.”

“This is it, right?” Ginny chimed in, holding up her galleon and Dean Thomas held his out too.

“Yeah, the message said Harry was back and we’re going to fight.”

Harry seemed to think something else entirely and rounded on Neville.

“What did you call them all back for? This is insane-”

“Did you think we were going to let you take this one on your own, mate?” Fred called out, crossing his arms over his chest. “This is way too big for that.”

“Yeah, we’re all in. And there’s more coming where we came from.” George added and the whole room fixed Harry with an expectant glare as he turned to Ron and Hermione.

A few minutes later, Luna was leading Harry from the room to search for something , and everyone erupted into conversation. The excitement in the air was palpable as Ron pushed his way towards his siblings with Hermione in tow.

“Blimey, it’s actually good to see you three.” He grinned, hugging Ginny and smiling at Fred and George who grinned back and looked around at the room.

“Yeah, what the hell have you been doing? You look like you’ve gone through hell.”

“I’d say so.” Hermione answered, her hand twitching at her sleeve that covered the scar carved into her arm that spelt out ‘Mudblood’. “But we’re so close now…we have been with Bill and Fleur recently-”

“Oh that’s why he wouldn’t let any of us go there!” Ginny glared at Ron and punched him lightly in the arm. “That’s so not fair.”

“I’ll say.” Fred and George said in unison.

People were talking animatedly and loudly, everyone ready at a moment’s notice to take up their wands and take back the school. People were surrounding the newcomers, greeting old friends and welcoming back Luna and Ginny who had both disappeared from Hogwarts at Christmas and Easter respectively.

There was another creak as the door swung open again and out poured more recruits to cheers of welcome. Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, Angelina Johnson and Oliver Wood entered. Oliver, who had graduated two years before Dumbledore’s Army came around, was a pleasant surprise to everyone.

He raised a hand in greeting and spoke in his thick Scottish accent.

“I got the word we’re finally fightin’ back.”

“We got ourselves a little Quidditch reunion happening!” Fred joked, shaking Oliver’s hand and looking over at the three former Chasers. His eyes lingered on Angelina who offered him a small smile and a nod which he returned. This wasn’t the time to dwell on any bitterness within their own side.

“Just need Potter or Charlie here.” Oliver smiled, and looked around the room. “Where is Harry anyway?”

“He’s gone to find something they need to defeat You-Know-Who.” Dean answered and Alicia and Angelina exchanged a look.

“I knew this wasn’t just taking back the school.” Angelina said and drew herself up with a determined look. “Even better. It’s about time we all did something.”

“What happened to your head?” Alicia suddenly asked and cringed slightly as she examined the twins properly to find them less identical than the last time she had seen them.

“What are you talking about?”  
George frowned and reached up to touch his left side. He painted on an expression of mock horror and shouted “Merlin’s beard, my ear’s missing!” before grinning and laughing along with Seamus, Fred and Lee who were snickering behind him. “Let’s just say I have another qualm that need’s settling with ol’ Snape.”

“Are we too late?!”

Everyone looked around as Remus, followed by Kingsley, ducked out of the tunnel.

“Not at all, we’re waiting on orders!” Neville called, pushing through the crowd to greet them.

“We got here as soon as we heard from Arthur.” Kingsley’s deep voice boomed as he clapped a hand on Neville’s shoulder. “Good man, Neville, you’ve done a splendid job here. What’s left of the Order should be right behind us-”

Sure enough, as he spoke the door opened again and out came Bill, Fleur, Arthur and Molly armed and ready to fight. They were panting, like they had all just sprinted down the tunnel to get there in time. Despite this, Fleur looked as glamorous as ever, with hardly a single silver blonde hair out of place.

Hers was a face most students at Hogwarts would recognise as the Beauxbatons student who had taken part in the Triwizard Tournament, and a few heads performed double takes as they saw her now married to one of the Weasleys.

Ginny’s eyes widened and she took a discreet step sideways, ducking down behind her brothers who automatically stepped so they were shoulder to shoulder in an attempt to hide her.

“Ron!” Molly shrieked and pushed her way through the crowd to her youngest son who was soon suffocating in her arms and awkwardly patting her on the back.

“M’fine, Mum….lemme go…”

She did so reluctantly after thoroughly looking him over, and pulled Hermione into a hug too who looked close to tears at the gesture.

Suddenly, the cupboard in the corner opened and Harry reappeared, slipping down the stairs with Luna on his tail. Remus ran to meet him.

“Harry, what’s been happening?”

Harry was breathless and both he and Luna were wide eyed as he answered so the whole room could hear.   
“Voldemort’s on his way, they’re barricading the school – Snape’s run for it – what are you all doing here? How did you know?”

“We let Mum and Dad know, they let the rest of the Order know and…the DA knew with those brilliant galleons.” Fred explained and Hermione’s lip twitched with the praise of her creation.

There was a torrent of questions being shouted out but George’s voice could be heard over all of them.

“What first, Harry? What’s going on?”

“They’re evacuating the younger kids,” Harry answered, his face more determined than ever “-and everyone’s meeting in the Great Hall to get organised. We’re fighting.”

Immediately there was a great rally cry and the crowd surged into action led by Kingsley and Neville. They charged toward the stairs, some, like Oliver, stopped to clap Harry on the shoulder or to thank him for this chance.

As the crowd thinned, Ginny made the decision to try and slip into it unnoticed by her parents. Trying to slip in beside Seamus, the girl headed toward the stairs before a loud, “Ginny?!” stopped her in her tracks.

Fred and George looked at each other and winced as their parents looked horrified at Ginny who had turned on her heel to face them. Bill’s face paled and he and Fleur stopped in their tracks at the foot of the stairs looking up at Harry and ran back over to the rest of their family.

“What are you doing? We told you to stay behind!” Arthur’s face was unusually stern as he turned a fierce look on his twin sons.

“You’re underage!” Molly shouted, panicked as Ginny whirled and tore her arm free of her grip. “I won’t permit it! The boys, yes, but you’ve got to go home!”

“I won’t!”

“You’ll do as you’re told, young lady.”

“I’m in Dumbledore’s Army-”

“-a teenager’s gang!”

Fred stepped to his sister’s defence. “A teenager’s gang that’s about to take him on which no one else has dared to do!”

Molly turned her glare on the twins. She was just as furious that they had brought her with them as she was with Ginny for coming.  
“She’s sixteen! What you two were thinking bringing her with you-”

Fred flinched and he and George had the decency to look slightly ashamed of themselves.

Bill stepped in, putting a hand on Ginny’s shoulder and speaking a good deal softer than his mother, though no less firm.

“Mum’s right, Ginny. You can’t do this. Everyone underage will have to leave.”

“I can’t go home! My whole family is here!” Ginny shouted, her bright eyes prickling with tears as she looked between Bill and Harry, pleading with someone to be on her side. “I can’t stand waiting there alone and not knowing.”

There was silence between the small group remaining, and Ginny seemed to relent, her eyes still sparkling as she turned away.

xxxXxxx

The wizard ran as fast as he could down the winding tunnel, tripping and stumbling in his hurry to reach the castle. When the message had come through from Aberforth that they were fighting back, he had thrown everything else to the ground and just ran for it. There was no more doubt in his mind what he needed to do as he imagined everyone fighting and possibly dying while he was sitting back trapped in a place so overcome with corruption and darkness that until now, he hadn’t dared to just run from.

He had finally come to his senses.

He was running so carelessly and panting so hard that he almost ran headlong into the closed door at the end of the tunnel. Skidding on the stone, he only just managed get his hands out in time to break the collision. His hand slipped and the door swung open into the Room of Requirement, unbalancing the man and sending him sprawling to the floor with a thud.

Pulling himself up and ignoring the dull throbbing in his knee where it had collided hard with the floor, he looked around through horn-rimmed glasses. “Am I too late? Has it started? I only just found out so I-I…”   
Percy Weasley spluttered into silence and swallowed hard as he looked around at the shell- shocked faces of his parents and siblings. He hadn’t quite been expecting to run into everyone at once.

The tension was tangible as everyone in the room stared wide-eyed at the return of the prodigal son. The twins wore identical expressions of shock, jaws dropped and eyes as wide as saucers. Ginny had frozen mid-step and Bill’s hand dropped limply from Fleur’s shoulders as he stared up at his younger brother.

Remus, who had remained behind with the rest, looked uneasily between Percy and the rest of the Weasleys and Fleur mimicked him.  
Trying to keep her voice light and casual, Fleur tried very obviously to defuse the tension in the room and whirled around to talk to Remus.

“So, ‘ow eez little Teddy?”

Lupin jumped and stared at her before catching on and speaking loudly as if to compensate for the thorough lack of any sort of noise from any of the Weasleys.

“-Oh yes, he’s fine! Tonks is with him…at her mother’s.”

It didn’t work and he hurried over to Fleur and Harry who was on her other side, tucking a shaking hand into his chest pocket. “I’ve got a picture!”

Harry, Fleur and Remus all jumped as Percy’s voice suddenly roared over them. “I was a fool!”

The rest of his family seemed to be stuck to the floor and still, none of them moved an inch from where they stood.

Slowly though, life seemed restored to them and Fred and George very slowly turned their heads and stared at each other in amazement before just as slowly looking back at their bespectacled older brother. Four words they never thought would ever escape Percy’s lips, even before he had chosen the Ministry over his family and Dumbledore.

“I was an idiot…” The self-berating continued, much to everyone’s astonishment. “I was a pompous prat…I-I-I was a-a…” Percy seemed to run out words for the first time that any of his siblings could remember.

Fred took it upon himself to finish Percy’s sentence for him. “Ministry loving, family disowning, power hungry moron.”

Remus and Fleur seemed to have abandoned their attempt to stop what could potentially be a complete disaster and were now looking uneasily between them all.

“Yes…” Percy said nervously, his eyes sparkling with tears behind his glasses as he looked at his brother. “Yes I was.”

He couldn’t blame them at all if they ignored him now. If they didn’t want his help anymore and couldn’t forgive him for the things he had said to them, he wouldn’t press them to do so. Percy ran a trembling hand through his curly red hair and looked down at the ground. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so afraid before, or so ashamed that he couldn’t bear to look at himself. So when he heard footsteps and when a slightly freckled hand was held out under his nose he looked up in shock.

Fred, who he thought would be one of the last people to accept his apologies was smiling and holding out the hand of friendship to him.  
“Well you can’t say fairer than that.” The elder of the twins said.

Before Percy even had a chance to shake Fred’s hand though, his mother was in tears and had shoved Fred to the side in her rush to hug him. Percy closed his eyes in relief for several seconds and patted her back before looking over her shoulder at his father whose own blue eyes were full of tears too.

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

With Percy pressed into a warm hug by both parents, George shook his head, still in disbelief at his return.   
When he was finally released, Percy wiped his eyes under his glasses to stop the tears of guilt and relief from falling in front of his brothers. Finally, he got a chance to look over his family’s appearance. He looked over at his oldest brother who was smiling at him and winced as he really looked at the long scars adorning Bill’s face. Fleur’s hand was entwined with her husband’s and a wide smile had stretched over her lovely face. Percy had only met his sister-in-law in person once before.  
Fred and Ginny looked much the same as ever, if a little paler than usual, but it was the other twin’s appearance that alarmed him. George seemed to have lost an ear, and although he didn’t look bothered by this at all, Percy’s conscience took another hit. How much had his family suffered while he sat back in the Ministry unharmed?   
Truthfully, he had been wanting to escape the place for months, but it wasn’t easy running away from the Ministry when they knew exactly where, and who you were all the time.

Shaking hands with Fleur, they hurried towards the staircase with Bill and the twins to join the gathering troops in the Great Hall.


	8. The Onslaught

** The Onslaught **

_Right, right, right, right left right,_  
Right, right, right, right left right,  
Right, right,  
We’re marching on.

 _We’ll have the days we break,_  
And we’ll have the scars to prove it,  
We’ll have the bonds that we save,  
And we’ll have the heart not to lose it,  
**Marchin’ On - One Republic**

George looked out over the crowd of students from where he stood with the Order and the Hogwarts teachers behind McGonagall. After Snape had fled, the whole school had been assembled here. Now every eye, and every ear, was fixed on McGonagall as she gave strict orders for the evacuation of the underage students and those who did not wish to stay and fight.

Every eye was wide in fear and a few first years students were crying softly from their house tables. There was a roar of applause as Ernie Macmillan rallied those overage who wanted to fight and a smattering of whispered conversation as Harry walked slowly up the aisle.

“It’s Potter!”

“Harry’s back!”

“Blimey, they’re not joking are they?”

“You-Know-Who….is really coming isn’t he?” A seventh year with strawberry blonde hair called from the Ravenclaw table.

“He most certainly is.” McGonagall said loudly, “And the most important thing is to get you out of here safely.”

On George’s left, Percy was clutching his wand so tightly his knuckles were going white. Glancing at his older brother, George gave the tiniest nod which was followed by a long, slow breath out from Percy as he tried to calm himself.

“We have already placed protection around the castle, but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it…” McGonagall called, and on her gesture, the prefects all stood up beside their tables. “I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects-”

There was a cold wind and all the fires were extinguished. Someone screamed from the Hufflepuff table and all eyes turned to the young, raven haired girl, until Padma Patil at the end of the Ravenclaw table suddenly gripped at her hair and let out a shriek.

The pain came suddenly. A stinging in the cursed side of his head like that which had come when the Dementor swept into their shop, but magnified a hundred times.   
“Ah!” George clutched at his head and clenched his eyes shut tight as he struggled to stay upright.

“George?” Fred’s head whipped around at his twin’s cry and he swallowed fearfully in the darkness. Over the screaming, and crying, Voldemort’s voice rang out throughout the whole castle.

“I know you are preparing to fight…” The voice hissed and more people screamed in fear, looking around frantically to find the source of the voice. It seemed to surround every person in the hall, like it was pressing right down upon them all. There was no escaping it, or the coldness that chilled everyone to the bone.

“Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me….I do not want to kill you-”

Fleur’s nails were nearly cutting right through Bill’s skin she was gripping his hand so hard and Hermione was hiding in Ron’s shoulder trying to escape it all. Bill peered around with wide, frightened blue eyes, trying desperately to think of anything else but death and destruction. Of course Voldemort wanted to kill them all.

Fred, who had placed a hand on George’s shoulder to try and offer him something to anchor to against the pain he was clearly in, went stiff and froze. His jaw trembled ever so slightly as the chills raced through him.

“-Give me Harry Potter…and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded.”

Everyone whose eyes weren’t clenched shut, slowly looked at Harry who stood trembling in the centre of the room.

“You have until midnight.”

Finally, the high, cold voice faded and left the Great Hall once again in a deafening silence that was almost as chilling as the voice itself had been. For one whole, horrible minute no one said a thing. No one even dared to sniffle.

The pain finally subsiding, George straightened up and slowly lowered his hand from his ear. He swallowed a thick lump that had formed in his throat and looked around at his family and friends before his eyes rested with everyone else’s on Harry.

“Someone grab him!” Pansy Parkinson screeched from the Slytherin table and every head in the room turned away from Harry to stare at her instead.

The whole Hall was suddenly stirred back to life, and together everyone but the Slytherins took a few steps closer to Harry. Every wand amongst the Order, the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, raised and pointed unwaveringly at the Slytherins. An unspoken pact to defend Harry seemed to echo as loudly throughout the room as if somebody had stood on the table and shouted it aloud. It screamed ‘You’ll have to go through all of us first’.

“Mr. Filch.” McGonagall’s curt voice sounded. “Would you be so kind as to escort Ms. Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin house to the dungeons?”

The rest of the houses cheered at this but every wand remained unwaveringly at them until they were safely out of the Great Hall.

Slowly, but surely, the younger students and those who did not which to stay, left the hall under the guide of their prefects to the evacuation point. There were some younger students, particularly amongst Gryffindor House, like Colin Creevey who attempted to stay back to a sharp reprimanding by their Head of House.

It was barely half an hour until midnight. They did not have much time…and that was assuming Voldemort would give them until midnight as he had said.

“Horace…” Arthur hurried over to Slughorn, “My son, Charlie is rallying reinforcements…he could use a hand. Tell the families of everyone who stayed behind, they need to know their children are in danger and we need their help.”

Kingsley stepped forward, bellowing out over the crowd of chattering witches, wizards and ghosts and taking charge.  “We haven’t much time! I need everyone to listen and listen good. The castle needs reinforcing. Professor’s McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout will be taking groups to the three highest towers.”

There was a surge of volunteers but before much more could be said, there was a great thundering and everyone went quiet and spun around. All around the castle, the great stone suits of armour were literally leaping into life, shaking the floor as they leapt from the stairways and walls and marched out in ranks to the school’s defence.

“OI!” Neville shouted out as the chattering started up again in awe and Bill let out a long, piercing whistle that effectively returned all attention to Kingsley.

“Arthur, Remus and I…” The Auror continued in his booming voice, “-will be taking groups of fighters into the grounds.”

“I can take a team for air support?” Oliver Wood offered, pushing his way through the Gryffindor crowd and Kingsley nodded.  
“That’s a good idea, anyone who can get a hold of a broom and can fly decently go with Oliver!”

“Longbottom!” McGonagall called, bustling over to Neville. “The bridge. Why don’t you take Mr. Finnegan, he seems to have a particular proclivity for pyro techniques?”

“I can bring it down!” Seamus called out, coming to Neville’s side with Dean and a few other students.

“We need somebody to organise defence of the entrances to the castle…” Kingsley called out and Fred and George both raised their hands.

“Sounds like a job for us.”

Kingsley nodded. “Good lads, take who you need for that.”

“Fred, George…” Arthur called as the twins started to turn around. “I’m sure you boys know any secrets of this castle better that most of the people here…” He sighed and looked between his twin boys. “You’ll cover more ground apart this time.”

Fred and George looked at each other and then at their father and nodded in unison.

“We know.” They said together and Arthur pulled first George and then Fred into a hug.

“Good luck, boys.”

“I’ll take a group, you take a group.” Fred said as he and George moved to the side and waved people over.

They split into two groups. Lee, Ernie, Alicia, Angelina and a handful of other students went with George whilst a group comprised largely of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, along with Katie and Percy followed Fred.

“George!”

Fred called over his shoulder just as the twins made to lead their groups in separate directions. George hurried back over to his brother and arched an eyebrow.

“Are you alright, Freddie?”

The elder twin looked uncharacteristically worried as he nodded slowly. His eyes were wide and there was a nervous tremble in his voice.  
“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Knowing his own face was probably mirroring Fred’s expression, he certainly felt how Fred looked, George offered a small smile. He knew exactly that that what ‘I’m fine’ really meant right now, was ‘I’m terrified.’  
“Me too.”

As he went to clap a reassuring hand on Fred’s shoulder, George was quite surprised to suddenly find his twin hugging him like he was on his death bed.  
“I’m not dying, mate.” He said quietly as he hugged his twin right back and Fred smirked slightly as he stepped back.  
“Never know.”

xxxXxxx

Fred’s heart was thundering as fast as a Firebolt in his chest as he listened carefully at the One Eyed Witch passageway. “How long do we have?”

Percy, in true Percy-like fashion, consulted a pocket watch. “Two minutes to midnight.”

“And I don’t think they’ll be late…” Said a Ravenclaw seventh year girl with dark hair tied back in a long braid.

People kept racing past, up the stairs and down them, forming ranks and taking up positions at windows and behind the balustrades. When Harry ran past, heading back toward the Room of Requirement, Fred waved cheerily.

“Nice night for it!” He called, trying to keep the air light amidst the chaos.

Boy did he hope Ginny was staying in that room.

At the stroke of midnight, the calm shattered and the storm began. There was a torrent of open fire from the vast lines of Voldemort’s followers who waited outside the borders of the school. The great shield crackled and sizzled but held firm against the onslaught. Great thundering shook the floors and Fred jumped back from where he had his ear pressed against the stone.

They all pointed their wands unwavering at the entrance. It shook again, and the stone cracked, breaking the enchantments they’d placed upon it. They all leapt back as it shattered and as one, eight different cries of “Reducto!” echoed all the way up the stairway. The five wizards attempting to make it through the passage were blasted back with such force that the one at lead went right through the wall of the passage and brought the ceiling tumbling down on his fellows.

It was a matter of minutes before the castle was well on its way to being in shambles. Walls and floors shook with the roar of curses being fired at the outside. Stones tumbled from the ceiling and stairs broke apart.

Aberforth Dumbledore suddenly came tearing down the corridor, his beard flying out behind him and a determination very reminiscent of his brother glinting in his eyes.

Fred looked out the window, even the Forest had come to Hogwarts’ aid. The trees were trembling and shaking and out of the leaves soared a whole herd of the skeletal Thestrals, shrieking with rage.

xxxXxxx

Bill let out a great war cry as the shield finally broke and they were set upon by hundreds of witches and wizards, and to his great dismay, giants. Spells rained down upon their attackers from the walls of the castle, along with a great outpouring of baby Mandrakes that tumbled down from the windows of the Astronomy tower courtesy of Professor Sprout. Their high pitched screaming was painful even from where Bill stood on the landing of the third floor hallway across the castle, and would have been incapacitating to the Death Eaters they landed right on.

“Are you alright, love?”

He looked over at his wife who was clutching her wand and scowling with such a ferocity that for a moment he was quite afraid of her.

“I ‘ave faced dragons and Sphinxes, William!” She snapped, her pretty eyes dark with adrenaline. “And I am not afraid now.”

A fleet of flyers streaked around from the east side of the castle down across the courtyard led by Oliver Wood and raining curses down. Someone screamed as one of the students fell from his broom stunned and the rest of the formation circled back around.

Any sort of battle plan they had had went out the window as the Death Eaters stormed the school, tearing through the ranks as the stone statues and suits of armour tried to hold them back.  
Bill turned and raced through the corridors with a growl of fury with Fleur just behind him and Michael Corner keeping pace with him.

They skidded to a halt and Bill threw an arm out to push Fleur out of the way as a jet of green light soared past them and a group of Death Eaters led by Yaxley squared off with them.  
Shield charms, and curses flew between them and Michael very nearly lost his life as a Death Eater appeared behind him. There was a small flash of light from Fleur’s wand and the dark wizard fell back blinded and stumbled into the wall with a panicked cry.

They were all caught off guard when the ceiling above them suddenly caved in, forcing both sides to throw themselves backwards out of the way.

Jets of light shot everywhere, people screamed and fought and died all around them. Were it not for the urgency of the situation and his desperation to keep his friends and family alive, Bill was sure the sight of so much death would make him sick.

The cave in had separated Fleur from him and Bill turned on the spot with wide eyes trying to find her, fearing she’d been crushed by the heavy stones.

“Fleur!” He shouted and only when he heard a stream of rapid French that proved she was at least alive, did he relax a little. But there was not much time for of that.

A feral growl came from behind him, and the Gringotts employee turned with wide eyes to face Fenrir Greyback who was so deformed now that even his human visage was marred into more of a wolfish appearance.

The werewolf licked his lips and held his wand with gnarled fingers as he leered at his prey.

“Avad-”

“Stupefy!” Greyback didn’t have time to finish his curse as he deflected Bill’s. Last time he had faced the red-head, he had left him mauled and half-dead. This time he’d finish the job.

Greyback was bigger and faster and before Bill could help it, he had been thrown to the ground, the Death Eater’s coat billowing out behind him as he raised a clawed hand.

“Bill!” Someone roared and Greyback went flying off Bill and into the wall.

Bill rolled, grabbed his wand where it had fallen and scrambled to his feet as Remus charged to his rescue. Lupin’s face was contorted with fury as he sent curse after curse at the werewolf who had turned him into a monster as a young boy. Together they held him back, dodging killing curses and raining a siege of spells on him fast enough to keep him too busy deflecting them to fight back.

“Remus!” Lupin spun around as Greyback went sliding through a window and stared in shock as Tonks threw herself at him.

“What are you doing here?! You should be with Teddy!”

“He’ll sleep till dawn and snore like his father, it’s you that needs me tonight.” The witch answered, not hearing a word of leaving her husband without her now.

xxxXxxx

Percy’s heart thundered in his ears as all around him raged bloodshed and death. He heard screams of pain as people fell tortured to the ground. His jaw was set into a hard line as he fought alongside Fred on the seventh floor. Glancing over at his brother, Percy saw a seriousness that he was not accustomed to seeing on the usually carefree face. It was a little unnerving. He was fighting with such a hardness in his face as he duelled a Death Eater, that he would clearly be a formidable opponent indeed to have to face.

Percy lost his focus for a second, but it was long enough for the witch he was duelling to bring him crashing to the hard floor. His glasses teetered from one ear as he pushed himself up onto his elbows and tried to defend himself.

“Crucio!” Suddenly he screamed and contorted, his limbs twisting up behind his back in ways that they were never meant to move. The pain was agonising, bringing tears to his eyes as he struggled to bear the torture.

“Ava-” Her curse dissolved into a shriek as a rock the size of a Quaffle soared straight at her head.  
Controlled by Fred, it struck its mark and sent the Death Eater tumbling backwards unconscious.

“Just like aiming a Bludger!” Fred shouted over the noise, hauling Percy to his feet and supporting him for a moment as they struggled to hold his weight. The Death Eater Fred had been duelling lay stunned on the floor.

Two screams close by made the brothers look around, but they were too late to help Lavender Brown and boy from Ravenclaw as they were thrown from the balcony.

xxxXxxx

George’s group had been split up long ago. He fought alongside Alicia and Lee. The three of them were duelling the Lestrange brothers who kept up a torrent of killing and torture curses that left the three former Gryffindors just struggling to avoid being hit let alone getting in their share of curses.

Alicia screamed and was suddenly floored, writhing in agony under the Cruciatus curse as Lee leapt to her defence and Rodolphus howled in pain as the skin of his hands erupted in hedgehog like spikes.

George stumbled back, now holding his own against Rabastan who was forcing him back towards the wall. The twin slipped, and it was a fortunate thing that he did as a killing curse flew so close over his head he felt his hair move. He landed hard on his back and blasted the Death Eater into the opposite wall, where he slid to the floor limp and unconscious.

Was everyone else alright? George groaned and looked down to see what he had tripped over. He let out a cry of horror and staggered away. There, only a foot away from him, lay fifteen year old Colin Creevey. His eyes were wide and unseeing.

The twenty year old’s thoughts started to race to horrible places as he stared at the dead boy at his feet. How many other people were dying? What if any of his family were dead, or if Harry or Hermione had been hit? He reached down to help Alicia to her shaking feet and started to run. He had to find them. Anyone.

Another explosion rocked the castle and made George throw his hands over his head to shield it against flying debris. The air was suddenly filled with a familiar dread and cold that chilled everyone to the bone as Dementors swooped through the newly created hole in the wall.

Once again, he felt an overwhelming surge of hopelessness cloud his mind, and steal away any vain hopes he had that they could win this battle. Clenching his eyes shut he raised his wand and tried to focus on the moment he and Fred made the Quidditch team. Before he could cast a Patronus however, there was a great roar and light flooded his closed eyelids. Snapping his eyes open he saw the Dementors scattering with shriek as a silver lion and lioness chased them down.

Bill and Fleur stood at the end of the corridor with wands raised. Both were looking worse for wear, but they were alive and George had never been more glad to see them.

“Finally found someone…” Bill said, panting as he caught his breath and ran to join his little brother. “Have you found anyone else?”

Before George could say anything there was a loud “NO!” from the courtyard that carried up over all the noise. Bill, Fleur and George ran through a hole in the wall onto the parapet and looked down into the courtyard.

Remus was duelling fiercely with Dolohov, his worn face twisted into a terrifying, wolfish expression of rage. Jets of green shot from both sides as Lupin and Dolohov both fought to kill. Tonks was clutching her arm to her chest, blood staining her clothes. Evidentially, this was what had enraged Lupin.

“Avada Kedavra!”

Lupin froze on the spot and swayed, and for a long moment they thought the spell must have missed him. Until he toppled backwards, dead before he even hit the ground.

Fleur screamed and Bill and George let out horrified cries as they watched one of the strongest men they knew, and one of their close friends die. But it was nothing compared to the scream that rang out loudly from Tonks who dived to the ground beside her husband, shaking him and clutching at his body.

“Remus!”

The world seemed to move in slow motion for George as his head spun and Bellatrix Lestrange cackled widely over Nymphadora Lupin who stared up at her Aunt with a cold hatred in her eyes. Tonks’ hair changed from blonde, to red and her eyes, normally her preferred shade of lilac or blue, went just as scarlet.

“All little doggies have to be put down some time!” Lestrange’s piercing voice carried up to the second floor parapet, followed by two flashes of light as Tonks fired a spell which Bellatrix deflected easily.

“Daddy loved you, Teddy…and so do I.” Tonks whispered to nobody, as though their infant son could hear her. Rising slowly to her feet, standing protectively over the body of her husband, the young mother squared off with her Aunt. But she never had the chance to avenge him.

There was another flash of green light and Nymphadora lay dead beside Remus, her hand landing just an inch from his.

George felt a rage he’d never felt before and raced from Bill and Fleur back into the castle, sprinting toward the Grand Staircase. He barely made it to the end of the corridor before a huge explosion on the sixth and seventh floors, five floors above his head, shook the entire side of the castle and sent him staggering off balance.


	9. The Loss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was inevitable. It had to happen eventually.

** The Loss **

_I go back, back, back and every memory you’re there,_  
But the clock ticks over every minute we shared,  
On my knees begging for it not to be true,  
But it was you, was you, it was you, it was you…

 _They told me who was in trouble,_  
I couldn’t breathe on the other side of the world,  
And there was nothing…I could do…  
 To help you  
**Wish You Were Here- Delta Goodrem**

Fred shouted, blasting the Death Eater he had been duelling back as he ran with Percy around the corner into the next corridor. His feet were suddenly whisked out from under him and he went crashing to the floor as the jinx tripped him. Trying to stagger to his feet he found his legs stuck together and thrashed around like a fish out of water for several seconds before he remembered the counter curse and leapt up just as the two Death Eaters sprinted around the corner after them.

Stumbling into someone, the twin shouted and turned long enough to see it was Hermione. He spared a second to grin at her, Ron and Harry as he caught sight of them before he spun around to deflect a curse.

Perhaps they could win this thing after all, Fred tried to tell himself as he sent a stinging hex at his opponent’s chest. Perhaps there was hope, he refused to lose that. If they lost their hope then it was pointless fighting at all, they might as well roll over and let them kill everyone.

Percy backed up, deflecting his opponent’s curse with a shield charm of his own and careful to keep his feet amidst the rubble. The Minister for Magic, Pius Thicknesse, sneered callously as he rained spells on the Weasley brothers.   
Somehow, Percy found the time to take a split second to adjust his glasses that kept slipping down his nose from the sweat and dirt that coated his face.

“Hello, Minister!” The Weasley shouted over the din, his characteristically humorless face for once held a hint of mirth as one of his spells hit its mark. “Did I mention I’m resigning?”

Fred laughed loudly in disbelief and a moment later, three distinct voices cried “Stupefy” and the wizard he was battling hit the ground hard at the same time as Thicknesse.

 “You’re joking, Perce!”

Fred took advantage of the temporary calm they had to catch his breath and looked at Percy with a mix of glee and admiration. Percy smiled and nodded to Harry as Fred clapped him on the shoulder.  
“You actually are joking, Perce…I don’t think I’ve heard you joke since you were-”

The peace was shattered. The very air itself seemed to explode and the solace they had found went crashing down with the wall as the small group of five were scattered.

xxxXxxx

The explosion shook the castle, Bill caught the doorway to steady himself and Fleur clutched his arm as the floor rumbled and quaked for a few seconds. They peered down the corridor. It was empty but there were flashes of light and shouting coming from around each corner. On the landing that led onto the Great Staircase was George, holding onto it as he stumbled down. The left side of his head was ringing and aching in the midst of such commotion. He raised his wand and a Death Eater, who had been leering over Lee, suddenly shrieked and scratched uncontrollably at his robes until he tumbled backwards over the banister and fell two floors screaming.

George held out his hand and hauled Lee to his feet who immediately ran for his wand where it had rolled down a few stairs.

“You alright?”

“Good as it gets, I suppose!” Lee answered, smearing a thin trail of blood that trickled from his temple. “And you?”

The twin opened his mouth to answer but all that escaped was a strangled gasping and he tumbled sideways into the banister where he leaned on it for support.

“George!” Lee cried out, and whipped around to find the Death Eater who must have attacked from behind. But everyone he could see was engaged in their own duels, and not paying much attention to them. He turned and clapped a hand on George’s shoulder. “George, hey, are you okay?”

It was a feeling that George had never felt before. A harsh, unfamiliar stinging in his chest like he had been struck with some curse. Except that he hadn’t been hit. The whole world spun as dizziness overcame him and he gripped tightly to the stone banister to hold himself up. It wasn’t his head, he hadn’t felt it there but for the momentary vertigo.

There was another quick, sharp pang in the centre of his chest not unlike a handful of hair being ripped from the roots all at once. The episode was over as suddenly as it had begun and George managed to catch his breath and pull himself upright. He was as confused as Lee as he looked at his friend who stared wide eyed at him in concern.

“What was that? Did you get hit?”

George shook his head and took a long breath as he recovered. “I dunno. It was weird, but I’m fine now. Let’s go!”

xxxXxxx

The world was rent asunder in an instant. Ron, Hermione, Harry, Fred and Percy were all flung in different directions as the wall exploded in a mass of stone, wood and smoke. Hermione screamed and there were five separate thuds as they all hit the ground hard. Ron’s ears rang as he landed hard amongst the debris. The dust was so thick he couldn’t see as he cried out for his friends and brothers.

“Hermione?! Percy?!”

“Harry?! Fred?!” Hermione’s voice rang out. “Ron?!” And then his vision cleared slightly and he could see her crawling through the mess. Ron let out a long breath of relief and his heart slowed down just the tiniest bit with the knowledge that she was alive.

“Is everyone okay?!” Harry’s voice came through the haze and Percy echoed him half a second later.

They were alive. They were alright. Ron coughed and spat a mixture of blood and dust as he pushed himself up and then realised something awful. Fred’s voice was not among them.

“Fred?” He said, a little softer as the dust finally began to settle. “Fred?! Say something!”

He could see them all now, bedraggled, and grime covered figures sitting up from where they had fallen. Ron counted and then recounted. One…that was Hermione. Two…that was Harry. Three…Percy.

Percy was the first to see the other red-headed figure who was not rising, half buried beneath the rubble of the wall.

There was a strangled cry and Percy, followed closely by Ron, stumbled and tripped over to him.

The left side of Fred’s head was coated in scarlet blood that stained his hair an even brighter red despite the dust. They did not use their wands to remove the stone and the wood that was covering him but pushed it away hurriedly, scrambling to free their brother.

“No-no-no…”

Fred’s bright blue eyes were opened wide and glassy, staring unseeing at the great hole in the wall and his wand still lying loosely in his fingers. His lip was still curled just the slightest bit upwards. His last laugh.

“No! Fred! No!”

Ron fell backwards with a cry of horror, his hand clapped over his mouth as sobs began to shake his whole body. Percy threw himself forward, grabbing Fred’s limp shoulders and shaking him, as though it might rouse him and he would sit up and laugh and say “Gotcha good!”

“Don’t you dare…don’t you dare, you-you-” He dissolved into sobs, dropping his head limply against Fred’s chest.

Hermione sobbed into Harry’s shoulder, who was trying his best to offer what little comfort he could, trying to fight back his own tears to no avail. Fred Weasley could not be dead. It just couldn’t be true.

There was a gleeful shriek as Bellatrix Lestrange came hurtling past the hole in the wall and curses flew over their heads. Pulling Hermione to the ground, Harry crawled over to the brothers, who weren’t moving an inch from where they knelt.

Percy flung himself over Fred’s body, protecting him against the curses and the debris that raged around them.

“Percy, come on! We’ve got to move!”

Ron seemed roused by Harry’s cries and grabbed Percy’s shoulders, trying to pull him away from Fred and to safety.  
“We can’t do anything! He’s gone, come on, Percy!”

“I WON’T!” Percy roared, moving only his head to glare at them all. The impact was heightened by the tears that streamed down his face and the quiver in his voice. “I’ll not leave him here!”

Harry moved first and seized Fred’s body under the arms. This finally stirred Percy to move and together they carried Fred out of the way.   
They hid him out of sight in a niche where a suit of armour had once been, where even if he was seen, he could not be damaged any more than he was.  
Slipping Fred’s wand into his pocket to protect it, and keep it from any prying eyes and hands, Percy looked up with a terrible fury in his eyes as he saw Augustus Rookwood on the other side of where the wall had once been. He just knew it had been him.

“ROOKWOOD!” He roared, and charged after the Death Eater with wand at the ready.

xxxXxxx

Arthur shouldered his way through the crowd. He was bruised and bleeding but could have been in far worse shape as he cast a shield charm around the centaur Firenze who had galloped from the forest with his herd to join the fight. Running up the stone steps into the Entrance Hall, he blasted back two Death Eaters at once as they came at him wands raised.

Where were Charlie and Slughorn? They needed those reinforcements and badly. He spared a moment to look around at the carnage. Far more of their side than Voldemort’s lay unmoving on the ground, so many parents would lose their children tonight. The thought made him grind his teeth and catch his second wind as he fought with renewed vigour.

“Molly!” He roared and pushed his way past Neville to reach his wife who was duelling alongside McGonagall. Before he could reach her, he was pushed back and stumbled into the wall. His heart seemed to stop as he saw a long mane of red hair flying by as Ginny came hurtling down the stairs. Deep down, he supposed he knew she wouldn’t agree to stay behind for long. He caught her by the shoulders as she ran by and stopped her in her tracks.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” He roared over the noise and his daughter stared at him with a fire in her brown eyes.

“Helping! You knew I would, Dad-duck!”

Arthur did, and the witch coming up behind them went sailing back with a spell from Ginny.

There was no point arguing it now, it was too late. He looked slightly pained at his daughter and stumbled for words for a long moment before holding up a stern finger.

“You are in so much trouble later, Ginevra Molly Weasley.”

Ginny grinned. “I know.”

Flitwick was locked in a duel with Yaxley and Kingsley had just hurtled into their midst with a great yell, knocking back a masked Death Eater with a flick of his wand.

There were too many of them, Arthur thought, fighting alongside Kingsley. He had seen none of his children, save Ginny, but wouldn’t permit the thought that they could have lost any of them enter his mind for a second. Outside, half of the courtyard had erupted in flame, and someone went screaming past the doors, waving their hands wildly trying to extinguish themselves. Whether they were friend or foe, Arthur couldn’t tell.

xxxXxxx

Suddenly, everything stopped at once. As suddenly as it had come in the Great Hall earlier, Voldemort’s voice rang out again over the school.

“You have fought valiantly…”

People whipped around on the spot, wands raised and ready to attack the voice the sounded so loud and so close.

“Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery.”

George slumped weakly against the wall as the Cruciatus curse ended and the hook nosed witch who had been ready to kill him, turned to the side and lowered her wand.

“Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me….”

Percy, on the sixth floor leaned wearily against the wall, his wand dangling from his fingers and Augustus Rookwood stunned at his feet. Fresh tears slid anew down his freckled cheeks.

“…you will all die, one by one.”

Fleur closed her eyes, clenching her jaw tightly as the Death Eater left her alone with a cold sneer. Her wand was clutched so tightly in her hand that she thought she may accidentally snap the thin wood.

“Every drop of magical blood spilled is a waste. Even Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forced to retreat immediately.”

Bill spat blood, a large bruise marred his already scarred face.

All throughout the school and the grounds, the Death Eaters that did not lie stunned or dead on the floor, lowered their wands and followed their Master’s command.

Molly closed her eyes and pressed her hand to her rapidly beating heart in relief. They had at least respite….but could that possibly be a good thing? What did it mean? Her thoughts flew to her family, terrified for their safety. It was them that kept her going the whole time.

“You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured.”

When Voldemort’s hissing voice addressed Harry directly, wherever he was, Arthur slowly sat down beside Kingsley, running a hand over his balding head. ‘Don’t you listen to him, Harry.’ He thought. ‘Don’t you give yourself up, son.’

“One hour.” The last words echoed in each person’s ears so clearly Voldemort may as well have shouted from right beside them.

There was an eerie silence over Hogwarts as everyone slowly gathered themselves and looked around surreally at the damage that had been done. Throughout the halls and the grounds, people hugged each other, or looked around desperately for friends. The silence was suddenly shattered by a new torrent of noise. Instead of the sounds of spells and shouting of war, frantic cries and heart breaking sobs filled the air.

As one unit, everyone joined together to aid the wounded to the raised platform in the Great Hall where Madam Pomfrey, joined by several volunteers,  immediately set to work to do what she could for them.

The dead were carried, or levitated, carefully into the Great Hall too, and lined up along the length of it to be given what respect they could be in the middle of a battlefield.

The only time George had felt sicker was when he and Fred had been testing the Puking Pastilles, he realised as he and Lee carefully lifted the body of the seventh year Ravenclaw boy who fell from the balcony. It was a horrible job, but all were doing their part to help.

Parvati Patil was clutching Lavender Brown’s hand who was very feebly twitching. She was bleeding from where her head had struck the ground and her neck was savaged from where Greyback had tried to feast. She lasted only a few moments longer before going limp and still on the floor, never to move again.

Parvati screamed and burst into tears and very gently Fleur guided the hysterical girl away from the body of her friend, wrapping her warms around her to try and console the girl she’d never even spoken to.

Arthur and Molly were locked in a tight embrace and both trembling with the relief. Brushing back a strand of his wife’s unruly hair, Arthur kissed her forehead tenderly.   
“It’s alright, dear. It’s over for now.”

“Mum, Dad….” Ginny suddenly came hurtling into their arms. She wasn’t sorry at all for disobeying and joining the fight but reprimanding their daughter was the furthest thing from their minds.

“Have you seen any of the boys?” She asked, and pulled back from them. Arthur and Molly both shook their heads.

“Oh Merlin, Remus!” Arthur suddenly gasped and Molly clapped her hands over her mouth in horror as Remus Lupin’s lifeless body was carried past them, behind him, floated Tonks.

“No…” Molly’s voice quivered and tears slid down over her cheeks. “Oh no, no, no…and with a baby!”

xxxXxxx

“He’s…he’s over here.” Percy said, trying to keep the quivering from his voice as he led Kingsley to the niche they had concealed Fred in.

Looked down at his brother, Percy felt suddenly ill and had to turn away immediately to empty his stomach violently.  
Kingsley Shacklebolt closed his eyes and pressed his wand to his chest as a wave of sorrow overcame him. The boy was barely twenty years old, and never a man he thought would have to die so young.  
Patting Percy on the back until he recovered enough to stop shaking and help, the two wizards carefully lifted Fred and carried him without magic towards the staircase.

Molly quickly busied herself helping Madam Pomfrey as best she could with the injured.

Arthur and Ginny slumped wearily down on the floor against the wall in the Great Hall. And then suddenly Bill appeared, carrying Flitwick who was unmoving but alive. Fleur was close behind her husband, guiding a crying girl over to her twin sister who ran to meet them and left Fleur to follow Bill.

“Oh thank goodness!” Molly sighed, jumping up and pulling Bill into a hug. He looked quite beat up, but he was alive and that was the most important thing. Fleur was next, her normally glamorous appearance was covered in dirt and blood and grime but she had come out of the battle mostly unscathed except for a nasty scratch on her shoulder.

When they saw Kingsley come into the Hall with Percy in tow, the Weasleys let themselves relax a little more. Until they realised that they were carrying someone between them.

Percy’s face was streaked with tears and he was hiccupping slightly as they carried Fred into the Hall. Four red-headed figures and a blonde were grouped together in the corner, and Percy’s heart thundered painfully in his chest. He should have been able to save Fred. It should have been him standing right where Fred had stood when the wall exploded. Fred did not deserve to die, Percy had done awful things to his family. He tried to swallow a lump. It should have been him.

Arthur stood up, a small smile on his face when he saw Percy…until he saw the graveness on Kingley’s face and the misery of his son. Slowly his eyes moved to the bloody person they were carrying. To his horror, he was met with bright red hair and a face that was half coated in blood. His heart fell down right through his feet. It was one of the twins.

The scream that tore through the room was heart wrenching. Kingsley and Percy lay him down carefully with the family and Kingsley respectively moved away to give them space.    
“My boy!” Arthur roared, his eyes filling and body trembling something awful as he really got a look at the twin who lay still and open eyed at his feet. It was Fred.

Molly was screaming and burst into sobs as she threw herself to the hard floor, her hands combing desperately through her son’s hair as though it might wake him. Bill stumbled backwards his breaths coming in short, ragged gasps and he couldn’t look away from the body. Not Fred. Not Fred, not one of his brothers. At his side, Fleur threw her arm around his waist, her small figure trying to support him as she too burst into sobs.

“No!” Ginny screamed and Percy threw his arms around her, pulling his sister against him to try and keep her still.

“Where’s George? Oh Merlin, where’s George?” Percy whimpered.

At that moment, Oliver Wood, supported between Angelina and Ernie, limped into the room. His leg was bleeding badly from a long open gash along his thigh where he’d been hit. Behind them were Lee and George, both running hands through their hair and looking around for their friends and loved ones.

Lee clapped a hand on George’s shoulder and tried to lighten the mood as they entered the Great Hall.

“It could have been worse…I suppose, right?”

George nodded very slowly and caught sight of Remus and Tonks lying still beside each other near the end of the line. His jaw tensed and he swallowed a lump.   
“But it coulda been a lot better.”

“Hey, there are your folks, they’re alright.” Lee said suddenly and George turned and followed his gaze to the group of red heads assembled in the corner. He sighed in relief at the sight of them, and quickly counted heads. Six, counting Fleur…someone was missing. Fred was missing.

And then he saw it, the too pale ginger figure on the floor they had gathered around. George’s heart seemed to stop in his chest and then all of a sudden began thundering against his ribs so hard that it physically hurt.

“No…” The word left his lips so softly that Lee had to strain to hear it. He leaned closer, and followed George’s line of sight. The cry that followed from the twin beside him was so loud that Lee leapt back in alarm. Before he could grab onto the back of George’s purple jacket, the twin was running as fast as he could down the hall.

“Geo-” He cut himself off as he looked again where George was running to. Lee’s eyes widened and his jaw slackened in horror as he saw it too. Fred was at his family’s feet. He didn’t look to be moving.

George heard nothing but the pounding of his own blood in his ear and felt the hard stones beneath his feet as he ran across the distance that seemed to lengthen with every step he took. He felt only terror gripping him tightly and cruelly as he tried not to believe what his eyes were telling him. Fred wasn’t dead. He had been hurt, he was unconscious but he just couldn’t be dead. They were identical twins, and wizards weren’t like muggles. Surely George would have known if…and then in a rush it came back to him. The pain he’d felt on the stairs, the way he had struggled for breath for several moments…the feeling that something had been ripped away from its rightful place.

Then suddenly the sound of his own name broke through the haze his mind had become and before he realised how close he was, he found himself in the bone crushing embrace of his father. It was only then, as he looked wide eyed over his father’s shoulder, that he realised he was already crying.

His father was shaking something terrible, or maybe that was himself…George couldn’t tell as he went slack in his father’s arms. It lasted only a moment before he was breaking free and pushing him away.

He collapsed hard onto his knees at his twin’s head, a tortured cry of true devastation wrenching itself from his throat. Fred’s eyes stared lifelessly up at him, their mother draped over his chest, great sobs shaking her whole body as she clung to her son.

George’s head dropped onto his chest limply as the sobs came so harshly and painfully that it was a struggle to breathe at all. It was as if the weight of the entire world had just pressed down all at once upon George, crushing him hard beneath its boot. Such was the pain, and the burden, that he could no longer keep himself upright. Slowly he doubled over, sinking towards the ground with shaking hands on either side of the cold skin of Fred’s face.   
“Why?” He whimpered between cries as his forehead fell against Fred’s. “WHY?! NO!”

When he finally found the strength to lift his head and open his eyes, his eyes, bright and full with tears met his twin’s dead ones. It was like looking at an extremely morbid mirror. As though he were staring at himself dead on the floor, only worse. This wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be happening. He wanted to be sick, he wanted to scream and never stop, he wanted to die and stop the pain because he had already lost half of himself anyway.  
Unable to bear it any longer, George slid his fingers gently over Fred’s eyelids, closing them. He drew his other hand away from the left side of his brother’s head, where whatever had killed him had struck. His fingers were coated in blood and bile rose in his throat. The sobs that had quietened for a minute, were back in full force as he rocked back on his knees.

Ron was here now, and under Percy’s arm. Arthur was on Fred’s other side, rubbing Molly’s back and big tears rolling over his nose.

Bill and Fleur were wrapped tightly in each other’s arms, equal parts crying into, and trying to comfort each other. Hermione’s arms wrapped tightly around Ginny who had dissolved into quiet sobbing into her shoulder. But George would not be comforted, he would not be soothed, would feel nothing but a grief that cut so deep that in that moment he wasn’t sure he could survive it.

Lee stood a way behind the Weasleys, silent tears sliding down his face. They were the kindest and most loving family that he knew, and now there was one less. They didn’t deserve this. Fred didn’t deserve this. None, who had died here tonight, had deserved this. He heard sniffling behind him and barely turned his head to see Alicia and Katie with their arms around Angelina, all three were watching the scene like he was. Like he was, all three were crying quietly.

All around them, those who were not still trying to retrieve the dead and wounded, sat exhausted in groups. Some cried, some whispered words of comfort to others and some just sat tiredly, clutching their wands and hoping that the hour of respite Voldemort had given them would not end.

All too soon, the voice of Lord Voldemort was magnified throughout the castle again.


	10. The Victor

** The Victor **

_You’re not alone,_  
Together we stand,  
I’ll be by your side,   
You know I’ll take your hand,

 _When it gets cold,_  
And it feels like the end,  
There’s no place to go,  
You know I won’t give in  
**Keep Holding On- Avril Lavigne**

“Harry Potter is dead.”

The words crashed over every person in the castle like a bucket of ice water. There was a terribly victorious sort of glee in the voice that pierced the grievous scene that was the Great Hall. All around, people clutched their wands harder and held onto their friends like they were all that were tethering each other to the earth.

It chilled everyone to the bone, and even those who were grieving for people they lost were forced to quiet their crying and listen. Molly finally moved from where she clutched the body of her dead son, her eyes full of tears until she clenched them shut. Even George’s painful sobs were quieted. His eyes stared wide and empty at the floor. Hermione and Ron both looked at each other with damp faces, stricken with fear.

“He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. Your hero was nothing more than a coward.”

“He’s lying.” Ginny seethed with clenched fists trembling at her sides. “Harry would never run.”

She wasn’t alone in her disbelief. Neville was picking himself up from where he sat with Seamus and glaring up at the ceiling as if he expected Voldemort to descend from it any minute.

Ron wished with all his heart that they were right. But he knew, as did Hermione, that they were only half right. Harry hadn’t tried to flee. He had done the very opposite. He’d gone to give himself up so they could get at the snake.

“Come out and see your hero.” The voice sneered. “We bring you the body as proof. I will kill every man, woman and child who tries to resist…come out.”

He sounded close now and as the voice faded away. Everyone inside could hear the gleeful jeering of the Death Eaters who were standing before the great doors of Hogwarts.

Led by McGonagall with Neville close behind her, everyone who could rose to their feet without saying a word. Gently, Bill placed a hand on George’s shoulder who lingered unmoving beside his twin.  
“George…” His voice was cracked and hoarse, but he didn’t need to say anything else as his younger brother shrugged off his hand and stood up slowly.

They all filed out, dirty and injured, but no less defiant of Voldemort and his followers. Slowly, they trickled out of the doors to face the victors of the battle. George stopped beside Percy, behind Ron and Hermione at the front of the crowd, and his face contorted into a scowl of fury.  
The Death Eaters stood in a large group in the courtyard, all clothed in black and some looking worse than others, but all wearing cruel smirks. Bellatrix Lestrange’s cackle cut the air like a knife as she skipped along the length of the line on her Master’s right hand, waving her wand in the air and laughing sadistically.

“We won! We won!” She laughed, kicking a stray rock at them with the toe of her boot.

But it wasn’t she, or even Voldemort himself who stood smiling horribly in front of his psychotic lieutenant, that commanded everyone’s attention. Hagrid, his huge figure bound in chains, was forced to stand out in front of the Death Eaters who were ready to kill the half-giant at the first sign of aggression. It was he, and the body he cradled like a baby in his huge arms, that drew all eyes.

It was most unmistakeably Harry.

“The Boy Who Lived is dead!” Voldemort’s voice rang out, and all his followers, save the Malfoys who had pushed their way to the front, laughed cruelly.

The first scream, to everyone’s great surprise, came from McGonagall, who clapped her hands over her mouth and whose normally strict eyes were filling with tears.

“Harry!” Ginny’s scream was even worse and she burst from the crowd to run towards him. Her tangled hair flying around her face and her eyes full of new tears. He couldn’t be dead. But the proof was there and still she refused to believe it. She made it only a few steps before Arthur’s heavy footsteps crunched over the rubble behind her and he pulled her back, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

“Stupid girl!” Voldemort shrieked. “Harry Potter is dead…from this day forth, you put your faith in me.”

“NO!”

Ron roared and Hermione screamed together as they too tried to pull ahead. Ron reached for his wand in fury before Percy clapped his hand down on his arm.  
“Don’t!”

The gasps and horrified cries were starting to weave into the crowd now, before, “SILENCE!” There was a loud bang as Voldemort raised his wand above their heads and several people ducked instinctively.

“He was killed running, he would let all his friends die to save himself…a pity it was all for naught.” Voldemort continued, his snake like face contorted into a terrifyingly gleeful smile. “Harry Potter was never anything more than a boy and a cowar-”

“He beat you!” Ron roared and lunged forward, stopped only by Percy who threw his arms around his younger brother’s chest to hold him back.   
He wasn’t the only one shouting and struggling to charge. All through the group of surviving defenders, witches and wizards were crying and roaring their defiance. Neville, Seamus, Bill and even Luna looked ready to lunge into the fray once more.

There was a second loud bang and the noise was silenced once again.

“Join me!” Voldemort’s voice rang out as silence covered his opposition. “I will spare your lives, and those of your families if you chose to follow me….” His laugh was high, cold and piercing and was echoed by the ranks of Death Eaters behind him.  
“Defy me any longer…and you, and your loved ones will be destroyed with The Boy Who Lived.”

All hope had been lost. George saw no light at the end of this tunnel now. It was over, Voldemort had won, they couldn’t beat him. Harry must have known how but now his body lay in Hagrid’s arms for all to see. George’s jaw clenched and his eyes, which had never fully dried, refilled with angry tears. They’d all died in vain. His twin, his best friend, had given his life, and for what? There was no point in it anymore. Fred was dead for nothing. Perhaps it was the Gryffindor in him, or perhaps he was just so overcome with grief that he didn’t care at all anymore, but George found the hand clutching his wand twitch at his side and felt himself filled with an urge to throw himself at Voldemort. He could do nothing against him, but that didn’t matter. At least he would die fighting. If he died it would stop hurting. He and Fred would go as they lived, together.

All of a sudden, Neville was moving in front him, limping heavily and bleeding from his head but steadily moving forwards to stand before Voldemort himself. There was one terrible moment in which George could feel the stares of the students as they clearly thought he was going over to join the Death Eaters.

Clearly, they thought so too as there was an uproar of scornful laughter from the Death Eaters, led first by Bellatrix Lestrange who was cackling gleefully at him.

“I’d like to say something.” Neville called out loudly and Voldemort’s mocking face twisted into one of suppressed anger.

“Well I’m sure we’d all be fascinated to hear what you have to say…”

“It doesn’t matter that Harry’s gone…people die every day….

The air suddenly seemed far colder, and far more constricting. Every eye was fixed on Neville who stood alone, between the Death Eaters and Hogwarts, taking his stand.

“We lost Harry tonight…but he’s still with us. He’s still here…” Neville’s voice grew and he placed a hand over his chest, turning to face the survivors. He looked first at the Weasleys and then slowly widened his gaze to the crowd.

“So is Fred, Remus…Tonks…they didn’t die in vain.”

George saw Percy twitch out of the corner of his eye and felt a sharp pang in his chest at Fred’s name. He was very aware of how empty the space to his right was, where his twin should be standing.

And then suddenly, Voldemort’s face had gone cold and cruel and Neville was shouting. There was a great flash of silver and Neville was no long unarmed.

Everything else happened so quickly that if anyone had blinked, they would have missed it. Harry rolled out of Hagrid’s arms and onto his feet, sparking a great rally cry from all the survivors who drew their wands and readied themselves to fight again. The flame of hope was rekindled in George’s gut and he forgot for a moment as he spun automatically to his right to share the moment with his twin brother. “F-” His heart sunk back down to his shoes as he realised there was no one there.

Voldemort’s cry of fury and the scrambling of Death Eaters as they charged forward again was rivalled only by a war cry from the castle’s boundaries.

xxxXxxx

Please don’t be too late, oh please don’t be too late. Panic started to race through the wizard’s head as he Apparated into the outskirts of Hogsmeade. All around him dozens of witches and wizards were appearing. These were the family and friends of those who were fighting in Hogwarts, and some past students who hadn’t heard the word. Horace Slughorn, who was still in his emerald green pyjamas, hurried over to his side.

“I should say we have a good force about to be here! Let’s just hope they didn’t need it earlier.” The older wizard puffed, slightly out of breath as he looked up at the castle.

Charlie Weasley had a strong feeling that those fighting at Hogwarts could have needed the back up much earlier. The school was in ruins and smoke and dust was still settling around it. They had done what they could. Rallying every able bodied person who was willing to help had not been an easy task. It had taken hours on end to track down the families of the students who had remained behind. But better late than never.

Unwilling to wait any longer, Charlie held his wand aloft and shot sparks in the air.   
“With me!” He bellowed as loud as he could and started sprinting as fast as he could toward towards Hogwarts.

How many people had died? How many people were left alive and fighting? Were they still fighting? Charlie had no idea, he just wished he had been there to fight with his family sooner rather than later.

As they thundered into the grounds, Charlie felt it shake beneath his feet and suddenly from the Forest burst a whole herd of Centaurs charging towards the courtyard, arrows sailing towards a sea of black robes that were Voldemort’s ranks.

With a bull-like roar, Charlie hurtled past Slughorn over the bridge and led the reinforcements to battle.

His wand drawn and raised, the second eldest of the Weasley children leapt head first into fray that had begun anew. Unable to get a jinx in, he settled for pulling back his fist and punching the nearest Death Eater square in the jaw as hard as he could.

They were all being forced back into the castle now, wizards from both sides were storming up the steps and fighting all within reach.

There was a loud bang and Dolohov went screaming by Charlie’s head and almost knocked him to the floor.

He scanned the sea of heads as best he could, for any heads of red hair that could be his family. With a cheer, Bill suddenly appeared at his side.

“You’re alive!” Charlie whooped with a lopsided grin, clapping a hand on his older brother’s shoulder. He had no time to ask why Bill seemed to flinch at his statement, or why his face was emptier and sadder than Charlie remembered ever seeing it, before he was suddenly caught up in a duel.

“And you’re late!” Bill called back over the roar of activity. His earring glinting as a jet of green light flew close by his head.

“Better late than never! At least you saved some of the gits for me!”

The battle had flooded into the Great Hall, those who were left were fighting in very close proximity to everyone else now. There was no spreading over the castle, and now Voldemort himself had joined the fray.

There was no time to grieve, no time to think about all the bodies that lay now in harm’s way again along the length of the Hall. Harry was alive. There was still something left to fight for and that’s all that anyone could afford to think about.

Yaxley screamed and then fell unconscious to the ground under the combined force of George and Lee’s spells, Thicknesse, who had recovered and retreated earlier, was floored again by Percy and Arthur.

“Draco!” Narcissa Malfoy screamed over the din, and George stumbled to the side as Lucius Malfoy pushed his way through, echoing his wife. They had long since abandoned Voldemort’s battle, caring about nothing more in that moment than finding their son.

As George stumbled back, he collided with someone and whipped around ready to attack before he realised it was his father who too had his wand raised ready and lowered it as he saw George.

Hermione, Ginny and Luna were all duelling Bellatrix who seemed to be holding all three of them back with ease as she danced along one of the stands, amid all their spells with a twisted sneer. Suddenly Ginny screamed and barely brought up her wand in time to divert the Killing Curse, barely escaping death.

“Ginny!”

George and Arthur both whirled around and ran toward the three girls, about to leap to their aid and take on Bellatrix themselves.

Lestrange sneered and laughed at the rescue attempt and Luna’s wand went flying from her hands.

“How sweet!” She cooed but before either of the wizards could so much as open their mouths, someone else barrelled between them.

Molly’s hair flew and her eyes were wide in rage as she roared out her fury and George was momentarily so shocked at the language that came from his mother that he forgot who she was going up against.

“Molly!”

“OUT OF MY WAY!”

Bellatrix burst into hysterical laughter as the plump, aging witch scrambled up to face her. This poor, out of shape, housewife of a witch dared to challenge _her_?   
“Come on then, Granny!” She shrieked, her wild hair flying all around her face as she leapt up and down and both witches started to duel.

The sight was terrifying to behold. The three girls who had been duelling Bellatrix before were forced into a stunned sort of halt along with Arthur and George as every one of them saw Molly Weasley in a whole new light.

And it wasn’t just that group. Almost everyone in the Hall had come to a stop and was watching the two duels that still raged on. McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley were all duelling Voldemort on the other side of the Hall.

Molly stumbled as Bellatrix’s curse struck the floor by her left foot and she nearly toppled over, much to Lestrange’s delight.

“Mum-”

“Mol-”

“NO!” Molly shrieked and George, Ginny and Arthur all skidded to a halt as she refused their help. “Get back! She is mine!”

Bellatrix roared with laughter again and then suddenly yelped as Molly fought on with a renewed vigour and fury that actually forced Bellatrix back several paces, forced to stop her onslaught and defend herself. The twisted sneer became a snarl and jets of green and red flew from both wands. They were both fighting to kill, there was no doubt about it.

“What will happen to your children when I’ve killed you?” She taunted, deflecting Molly’s curse and sending it right back at her. Her cold eyes crept over Molly’s shoulder to the three other Weasleys right behind her, and beyond them to the line of bodies where she knew one of the sons lay. “When Mummy’s gone the same way as Freddie?!”

And suddenly George was throwing himself forward with a feral snarl, held back by his father’s firm hands on his arms.

Molly had already lost one child tonight, she wasn’t about to lose any more. Her brown eyes grew dark and flashed with a fierce burning fire. She would not abide being taunted about their loss by anyone. Least of all Bellatrix Lestrange. Her reign of madness and death ended now.

“You-will-never-touch-our-children-again!” She screamed, punctuating each word with a new spell.

The whole world seemed to go silent for a long few seconds as her curse finally struck its mark. Bellatrix started to laugh, and then her face went slack and her eyes bulged as she realised these were her last living moments. She had been bested.

Bellatrix Lestrange swayed and fell hard, dead at the feet of Molly Weasley.

“Blimey, Mum…” Ginny murmured as she gaped in disbelief.

Cheers exploded from the defenders of Hogwarts and Voldemort screamed in fury, throwing back his three opponents as easily as if they had been pillows.

Molly’s hand fell limply to her side, her wand held loosely in her fingers and she climbed back down to the floor. She was out of breath but there was an undeniable glint of pride in her eyes at what she had achieved.

Arthur suddenly swept her into a crushing embrace. Nobody saw Voldemort raise his wand and point it across the hall directly at her. And then suddenly, Harry was there and Voldemort was circling him like a terrible beast would circle its prey. All eyes were on them, no one dared look away for fear that they would miss a second. This was it, one way or another, this battle would end for good.

“I don’t want anyone else to try to help.” Harry called out and those who had been about to take a few steps to his side, stopped. “It’s got to be like this.”

George slowly became aware of Bill, Percy, Charlie, Fleur, Ron and Hermione all edging towards them, grouping together. He supposed it was from some previously unknown need to be alongside each other as a family if this was to be it.

So still was the Hall save for Harry and Voldemort, that it seemed like no one else even dared draw breath too loudly.

And then suddenly, as the dawn finally broke over the castle, bursting through the shattered and crumbling walls, two spells were screamed.

“Avada Kedavra!”

“Expelliarmus!”

The flash of light as red and green jets collided in the air was almost blinding it was so bright and somebody, George could not tell who, screamed.

And then, as suddenly as it had happened, it was over. There was a cold, stiff silence as Tom Riddle finally crumpled, defeated into a twisted pile of black robes and Harry stood victorious at last, two wands clutched in his fist.

The roaring of cheers and applause was deafening as every person joined in. George threw his arms around his sister before she was sprinting towards Harry. Hermione and Ron were already hugging Harry, and then Neville, and Luna flew past George towards the victor.

He ran with the rest of his family, who were next to throw their arms around Harry, no doubt very near crushing him in their happiness.

Voldemort was vanquished. The only ones who had need to fear now, were what was left of the Death Eaters. Any of them who could still move had either fled or been restrained.

It was over.


	11. The Tribute

** The Tribute **

_Both of you fell the same day,_  
You don’t know why, one of you never woke up,  
And you laid your body down on the floor,  
You’re desperate to hear her footsteps again,  
But this house is on fire, we need to go.

_Oh, you don’t have to go it alone,  
Go it alone…._

**Run For Your Life – The Fray**

It was the dawning of a new day, and a new era as the light broke over Hogwarts. The Great Hall was filled with a soft buzz of conversation and sniffling. Though many were still streaked with grime and tears, most people in the Hall looked a good deal happier than they had an hour ago. There were smiles now, and people heartily clapping Harry on the back and hugging him. People lined the sides of the Hall, sitting exhausted in groups or trying to help those who couldn’t move themselves.

Far from living up to its name, the Great Hall was covered floor to magical ceiling in rubble and dust.

The Death Eaters who hadn’t managed to flee in time as Voldemort fell, were bound or stunned and under the careful watch of Kingsley and Hagrid. There would be no escaping Azkaban again for those who had survived and those who hadn’t…no one counted it any real loss.

Charlie Weasley stared at Percy like he had sprouted a third arm from his chest. Unable to believe what his eyes were telling his mind for a moment, the second eldest of the Weasley sons struggled for words.

“Merlin’s beard…you ca-you’re-oh to hell with it…” His face, bleeding a little at the temple, broke into a wide grin and he threw his arms around his brother, welcoming him back as though nothing had ever happened.

Percy patted Charlie’s back a little awkwardly and remained stiff and sombre as his brother let him go and clapped his hand on his shoulder.  
“Hey…” He said, his voice hoarse and glasses lopsided. He offered a very smile, if a little watery, and looked away as Charlie frowned at him.

“Relax, mate…I’m sure everyone’s just glad you-”

“I know.”

Percy couldn’t look him in the eye. He just couldn’t look his brother in the eye and tell him to stop being so darn cheerful all the time. He wouldn’t be cheerful if he knew, and Percy didn’t want to be the reason Charlie’s normally down-to-earth and calm demeanour was shattered. He’d caused enough of that tonight.

“What’s wrong then? Crack a smile, Perce…we won.”

“Charlie…”

Charlie turned around as Fleur’s distinct accent interrupted and he got a good look at her and Bill for the first time that night. She had been crying. Her eyes were still red and there were silver trails where tears had streaked the dirt on her face. Even Bill looked sad. His scars stood out more than ever as his jaw shook. He was trying very obviously to be strong.

And then something clicked and Charlie’s face dimmed.

“…Who?” His blue eyes scanned around him.

Their mother had her arms around Ginny who was leaning against her shoulder tiredly as they sat against the wall talking quietly with McGonagall and Slughorn.

He knew Ron and Hermione had both gone with Harry but he couldn’t see George anywhere , or his dad. They were there a moment ago but now they had both slipped away and he couldn’t remember seeing Fred at all.

And then he saw two familiar friends lying side by side. Remus and Tonks were both unmoving, and too pale and still to be alive. Charlie’s heart dropped through his boots and he swallowed. How many of his friends had died tonight.

No one was answering he realised and he looked back to his other brother, wondering who he had meant.

Bill met his younger brother’s eyes briefly and there was such sadness in them that the blue of his eyes stood out brighter than ever. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words. If he said them, he’d have to accept the truth in them and he wasn’t ready to do that at all. So instead he looked over Charlie’s shoulder and nodded to a spot near the wall.

Charlie turned around slowly and ran a hand through his mop of ginger hair as strands fell before his eyes.

He saw what he feared. Or at least, he saw George and their father first. He had to blink several times to be sure he was seeing what he thought he was. He couldn’t remember ever seeing the twins cry since they were young enough to be afraid of monsters under the bed. But there was George, clinging to their father and clearly sobbing into his shoulder.

The blue eyes the same shade Charlie shared with all five of his brothers, travelled downwards. Then he was pushing his way past people and his jaw was open in a silent cry of horror as he hurried towards the scene. He fell to his knees beside Fred’s body and then promptly fell backwards with a hand clapped tightly over his mouth and breaths coming faster than he’d ever felt them.

He shook his head and a muffled “No!” slipped through his lips and the hand that covered them. But the tears wouldn’t come. They filled his eyes and threatened to fall but didn’t as he stared unblinking at Fred.

“Shh…” Arthur hushed quietly, squeezing George tightly and rubbing his back. His own throat was so constricted that he didn’t think he would be capable of saying anything else lest he break down again. George was sobbing into his shoulder and would not be comforted.

George’s knees gave out and through the haze of his mind, a dull throbbing started again. It began in the side of his temple and crept all through his head until his a wave of light-headedness washed over him. His knees buckled and suddenly he felt himself being slowly lowered down to sit on the floor and his father’s arms loosening around him.

He didn’t want anyone to tell him he should be happier. They had won, any more lives that could have been lost had been spared. The war was over. George was sure that if anyone told him any of that he might punch them in the face.  
Yes, it was over. Yes, they had won. But they had lost so much too. Fred was gone and even though he knew better, George had never felt more alone. In fact, he’d never really felt alone at all before now. He didn’t know how to be alone and the thought terrified him.

Was this how Fred had felt when George had lost his ear? He remembered Fred saying how sure he was that George was dead when he saw him lying covered in blood, how scared his twin had confessed to being. He felt it now. Only Fred wasn’t going to wave up with some witty quip and tell him he was being stupid.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there beside Fred’s body, just staring wide eyed at him, or at the floor. He wasn’t sure how many times he had bitten his knuckles to keep his control, or how many times he ran his hands through his hair before he heard a voice above him.

“Hey…”

George looked up slowly and then back down again as Percy sunk down beside him and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t…” George shrugged his hand off and gripped at the sleeves of his jacket tightly, closing in on himself.

“I’m so sorry…” Percy whispered. He blamed himself, even though he should have known better than to do so.  “It should have been me…I was right there.”

George turned his head slowly and stared at Percy who adjusted his glasses and averted his sight.

“You were there…” George repeated and Percy nodded. “You were right there…”

Percy closed his eyes and braced himself for what he was sure would follow. He was convinced George would agree with what he thought of himself. That it should have been him to die instead of Fred.

But it never came. George didn’t say a word and only when the remaining twin looked away again, did Percy continue.

“I uh….here…”

Percy reached into the inside of his coat and withdrew Fred’s wand from within. He turned the chipped, second-hand wood around in his fingers once before holding it out to George.

The twin swallowed and took it with trembling fingers. His hands wrapped around the wand and he closed his eyes as he held it tightly against his chest.

“Thank you…” He muttered, barely audibly.

The wand felt unusually heavy in his hand. It was cold, and George gave it an experimental wave to see if it would respond to him. The wood twitched slightly but only a small vapour emitted from the tip. It was sad and empty.

Fred’s wand was made of larch wood, and unicorn hair. Larch was, as Ollivander had told them himself nine years ago, a very particular wood. But Fred had been a very unique person, to say the least. Larch wands sought for masters of great courage and unexpected talents. It would never respond to George the way it had to Fred. Brave was the last thing he felt now. He felt small and scared and he really didn’t want his twin’s wand to work for him. He’d feel wrong if it did.

He closed his hands around it again and clutched it tightly to him.

Though grief was all around the school, there was at the same time, a lightness that placed a comforting blanket on the shoulders of all. A sense of relief and respite, like an enormous burden had been lifted, and it had. There was quiet chatter amid the sniffles and tired smiles as everyone banded together. There was no animosity between any of the houses or the teachers. No more war.

People had died. People had lost siblings, friends and children and infant Teddy safe at home with his grandmother had been orphaned. But though the chapter closed for many, it opened wide for the survivors.

xxxXxxx

The silence was deafening. It screamed all around in the afternoon air for a long few seconds before quiet crying and sniffing carried through the crowd. Arthur hadn’t made it all the way through his eulogy before he turned right around and practically fell into his seat. Heads suddenly turned as Lee Jordan had just risen from his seat, walked past the grieving, red haired family in the first rows and up to stand in front of the crowd.

“Well, I’ll say something then. I think I speak for all of us…” His dark eyes flicked down to George and there was a sharp pang in his chest at the pathetic sight. His friend was sitting with his head down and was trembling as he cradled his hands to his chest.  
“…For all of us…” He tried to continue and gathered his composure. “…when I say the world lost one of the most fun people it knew. We all know Fred was a character. I could say that he was brilliant, and hilarious and damn good at Quidditch…” Lee swallowed and saw Oliver Wood in the crowd run a hand over his lean face.  
“But everyone already knows that. He was one of my best mates, and I’m just so sorry I couldn’t do anythin’ to help him…and neither could anyone.” He added, his eyes flicking down to George and across to Percy who he knew both felt responsible.  
“It ain’t fair, but…at least he died for something. And Fred and George have left their mark forever. You two changed a lot…” He addressed George directly who still hadn’t moved at all in his seat, “Even if you don’t know how much.”

Suddenly a choked sob sounded loud over the crowd and everyone glanced toward the Weasleys. It wasn’t George, like most people thought, but Bill, whose head was leaning into Fleur’s shoulder as she rubbed his consolingly, silver tears sliding silently down her cheeks.

Lee’s voice broke as he tried to continue.

“Here’s to mischief, and its maker. Here’s to someone who always stood up for what he thought, to someone who gave his life for what he believed, to a true, fellow Gryffindor all his life. Here’s to Fred Weasley.” He drew his wand slowly and with trembling hands, held it aloft above his head. The point began to glow and one by one, wands began to raise all around.

As Lee returned to his seat, Percy, who sat beside George gently placed a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder.  
“George? Do you….do you want me to-”

“No.” George mouthed silently and he slowly moved his hands from his chest and opened his fists. Fred’s wand, which he had carried with him, lay chipped and scratched and worse for wear in George’s hands.  
For a long, selfish minute, George didn’t want to do this. He wanted to tuck his twin’s wand away and keep it safely with him forever.  And then the selfishness turned to sheer fear. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t get up in front of everyone when he wasn’t even sure he could stand anymore without falling.

“George…” Percy whispered again, but the twin just didn’t care if everyone around was waiting awkwardly for him to do what he had to do. They could wait. He needed a lot longer than this.

After what felt like an age, but every minute without his twin by his side felt like an age to George, he finally stood on shaking legs.

Cradling Fred’s wand to his chest like it was a treasured, rare artefact to be protected at all costs, George took a few steps forward toward the very simple coffin. Every step, he felt like he was walking to his own grave, like he was going to his own death.

Fred was gone. His best friend, his identical twin that he had never spent a day without, was dead. Half of George had died with him in the Great Hall that night.

George reached the coffin. He looked up at the marquee above him as though asking for courage, before he dragged his sad, empty blue eyes down to the closed ones of his brother. Shaking like a leaf, George slowly held out Fred’s wand, larch with unicorn hair, eleven and a quarter inches, and, feeling like he might faint, he very gently lifted one of Fred’s lifeless hands and placed his wand on his chest. Folding his hand over the wand, to keep it where it would remain forever now, George rubbed his thumb over his twin’s cold, gaunt skin. There was no warmth, no life at all there now.

“Fred…” George whispered, his lips barely moving at all as he pushed back Fred’s hair the way that Fred had pushed George’s back the night George lost his ear.

His shoulders heaved and wracked with sobs and he didn’t care that everyone was watching him break. Suddenly two pairs of arms encircled him and Charlie and Ron guided him away back to a chair.

xxxXxxx

A week later, George was still sleeping on the sofa in the living room at the Burrow. At least for what little sleep he could get. He couldn’t bring himself to even open the door to their old room and sleep in his old bed, it was too hard. He wouldn’t even think about moving back to the shop, it terrified him so soon afterwards.

Every morning, Ginny would be the first after her parents to rise. Every morning she’d push aside the curtains and peer out of her window facing the hillside her brother was buried on. She would put on a brave face, and pretend she was alright. But everyone did that. Looking over at Hermione who she was sharing her room with, to make sure she hadn’t woken the older witch, Ginny shrugged on a dressing gown and stepped out onto the landing. She looked up, listening for any sign of movement from the floors above her and then walk barefoot down the stairs toward the kitchen to help her mother who would never stop cooking or cleaning, with breakfast. As she passed, she glanced through the doorway into the living room where she had a clear line of sight to the sofa where the other twin lay. One arm hung limply off the sofa as usual and his eyes were closed. Ginny could always tell when he had only fallen asleep from sheer exhaustion as his eyes were still ringed with dark circles and the silver tear tracks still looked wet.

“Mum…slow down.” Ginny said, sighing as she entered the kitchen to find her mother hurriedly preparing everything from sausages to porridge to toast and jam to have a breakfast fit for a king on the table before everyone woke up.  
Molly didn’t seem to hear her daughter until Ginny touched her shoulder. She jumped and pressed a hand to her heart as she turned around.  
“Oh, dear…you gave me a fri-” She fumbled for words and her only daughter suddenly hugged her and let out a long, trembling voice, stroking Ginny’s hair.

“Slow down, Mum.” Ginny repeated, pulling away to lift a great plate of sausages and bacon. “You do have help here.”

It was today.

Before the rebuilding of the castle would commence, a great memorial to the Battle of Hogwarts would be held to honour all those who had given their lives. To ensure that future students would never forget what had happened there.

Hermione was usually the next to rise, and Charlie usually followed a few minutes later. Harry and Ron would come downstairs last of all, and Harry never looked well rested. He always had grey circles under his eyes too, and Ginny knew he stayed awake late trying not to succumb to a guilt so great it pressed on him as painfully as his scar had once done.

George sometimes didn’t come to the table at all, but when he did, it was like walking on eggshells. He hadn’t smiled since that day, and rarely even spoke a word to anyone. They all treated him differently, no one could help it. Percy was the worst of all though, three times now he’d only looked at George and had to leave the room. They all knew he was seeing Fred and not George looking impassively back at him. It was impossible not to do that. They were identical twins, sometimes Ginny found herself having to stare at the left side of George’s head where his ear was missing to remember that it wasn’t Fred after all.

George hated it. Anyone could tell. His jaw would tense and he would glare at whoever was looking strangely at him. He supposed he understood why they treated him like he was about to break…because he really was that fragile now. He understood why they looked at him and saw Fred because he did it too. Until now he had usually thought it was marvellous and hilarious to have a twin, to look exactly the same at his brother, to confuse people. Now he’d never hated looking the same more.

xxxXxxx

Hogwarts itself was still much the same as it had been the day of the battle. It was in ruins, great heaps of stone filled the courtyards and the interior had crumbled in on itself.

At the south of the castle, towards the lake, a large, smooth white stone stood like a small wall. The crowd that gather around it now was great. Those who had fought in the Battle and their families, the families and friends of those who had died, and any students who had been evacuated, along with their families were assembled. Hagrid, towering over everyone, stood at the back alongside the herd of centaurs who had emerged from the forest to pay their respects. Minerva McGonagall, now Headmistress of the school, stood tall before the crowd, clothed in robes of raven black. Her face mirrored that of the witches and wizards who stood together facing her.

 “You all know why we’re here. Everyone here was a victim of Voldemort or his followers in some way, however small it may have been.” Her voice, magically magnified, carried over the assembly. “Here at, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is where his reign finally ended once and for all. Voldemort’s darkness is no more, those who followed him, I’m sure now which they hadn’t. There will be no more danger from him, no more innocent people will lose their lives at his hand.”

Her eyes, warmer than anyone remembered ever seeing them, scanned each face in the sea of black clothing until they rested on Harry. Her lip curled up into the smallest of smiles before she fixed her eyes again on a far point, behind the furthest centaur and continued.

“Here is where it all ended and none of us here today will ever forget that. Many of you fought the war yourselves, many of you lost someone dear to it…don’t ever let yourself forget it. Nor should this be forgotten by those who are not yet part of this history, by those who perhaps are not yet born, or simply were not here to witness it themselves.”

Towards the front of the assembly, a large group of red-heads all stood together. Hermione, Fleur and Harry with them. Arthur’s arm wrapped securely around his wife who was sniffling every so often. Almost every head was bowed and stared at the ground. Almost every eye was tearful and sad and yet still determined to see this through.

“We remember today the sacrifice of all those who gave their lives on that day. Each one of those brave people died fighting for good, and they did not give their lives in vain.”

Most people expected her to withdraw a roll of parchment from her robes but she did not. McGonagall stepped to the side, leaving the white stone unobscured and began to recite the names. She remembered each one of those students and the others who had died by name, she needed no parchment to remind her.

“Lavender Brown.”

As she spoke, listing each name in alphabetical order, it inscribed itself upon the wall in neat, perfect writing.

“Colin Creevey.”

There was a sudden cry from the middle of the crowd as the boy’s muggle parents, thoroughly unnerved and unsettled enough being surrounded by such a crowd of magical folk, dissolved into tears, clutching Colin’s younger brother, Dennis, tightly to them.

“Poor muggles…” Arthur whispered quietly, looking pitying over at the man and woman who stood not far behind them.

One by one, names were called and inscribed upon the wall. When McGonagall reached the L’s, there was a collective intake of breath all through the crowd.

“Remus and Nymphadora Lupin.”

Andromeda Tonks clenched her eyes closed. She had already lost her husband and now her daughter and her son-in-law. Clutched tightly in his grandmother’s arms, a baby boy with hair in the process of changing from sandy brown to blue, started to cry.

Harry swallowed a lump as he looked through the crowd to his godson. He would never remember his parents really, much like Harry himself. Teddy would be loved, and doted on by his family and those who would be as good as blood family to him, but Harry knew what it was like to grow up without parents and promised again to the memory of Remus that he would be there to help all the way.

One by one, the names of the dead filled the stone, there were over fifty of them and last of all McGonagall came to the W’s. There was only one.

“Fred Weasley.” The headmistress finished, her voice had begun to tremble halfway through the list, and hadn’t stopped since. As she finished, she let out small hiccup that did not go unnoticed.

The silence set over the solemn assembly and chilled all like ice water. There was barely a dry eye among all and then suddenly the silence was shattered by a great trumpeting from Hagrid as he blew his nose into a huge handkerchief.

Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped forward. He had been named Acting Minister for Magic and, like everyone else, was clothed in black. His robes brushed the grass as he stepped toward the memorial and raised both hands. His wand in his right hand he closed his eyes and slowly drew his wand in an arc over his head. The writing on the wall shimmered and began to glow a soft gold. Someone gasped and more than a few people sniffed as the air above the wall began to shift. One at a time, the faces of all who had died appeared in the air, looking just as they had done in life.

Colin Creevey beamed out at them, his eyes as wide and excited as they always had been.

Remus, looked out with the barest hint of a smile, his warm eyes boring into each person who held their stare. Tonks, who hair was her favourite shade of bubblegum pink, grinned toothily and winked. Andromeda dissolved into sobs.

One by one they appeared, some smiled, some raised their chin and looked out proudly. All of them looked just as they had when they lived. It wasn’t at all like having them back, but it lifted the hearts of even the most bereaved for a few moments.

When Fred appeared last of all, his freckles stood out more than ever in the sunlight. He was grinning, his eyes alive and laughing as his family tried their best not to fall to pieces again.

Lee, who was standing just behind George, placed a hand on the twin’s shoulder as silent tears slipped from his eyes.

Fleur sniffled and squeezed Bill’s hand who looked up at the visage of his brother with chin held high, trying to keep together.

Percy was looking at the ground, unable to hold the blue eyes of Fred even in what was just a conjured image.

Hermione was slowly rubbing circles on Ron’s back, fighting back her own tears while Ginny on her other side smiled weakly up at her brother.

George couldn’t look away, he thought that maybe if he kept looking then the image wouldn’t fade like the others. But still, even as he watched, and fought back choked sobs, the happy, carefree version of Fred changed in his mind to a cold, still one covered in blood.

And then Fred too, like the others before him, faded into the air and George couldn’t hold back a stifled choking sound in his throat.

Kingsley was talking now, his voice carrying easily to the ears of all.

“As Acting Minister for Magic, I bestow upon all who gave their lives in this Battle, and all those who fought in it and are still standing today, the Order of Merlin, First Class….for feats of extraordinary bravery.”

He stared out at each person and then looked to the side at McGonagall who was dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve.

“Tell your children. Do not let them forget those who died here…I ask you all to join me now…” Slowly he raised his wand to the sky. “We will remember!”

It started out quietly, but surely every person repeated the words and together, every wand in the audience was slowly raised.

“We will remember!”


End file.
